9 Months
by AmberEyedGirL118
Summary: Almost 11 years after their journey started, Naraku has finally been defeated. But now a new chapter in everyone's life has started. And all of the men seem to be a little nervous...InuXKag, MirXSan, KogXAya, and SesXRin
1. Prologue: Many Losses

_9 Months_

_Prologue: Many Losses_

Kagome still couldn't believe what she had heard come out of his mouth. Yeah, they had been fighting Naraku for almost eleven years now, but she never thought he would ask her this. And now that the battle was over, she really had no idea what to say to him.

"W- what did you say?" she stuttered.

Inuyasha looked at her, trying to find the courage to say the words again. But he found he could not. Staring at her, he moved closer to her. They had been sitting in the Sacred tree for little over an hour now. Looking away, he found himself thinking about the night before. How terrible it had been, but also, how relieving to know that almost everyone was safe.

_Flashback…_

_That night had been one of terrible loss and anguish for the many people who had come to help in their fight to defeat Naraku. Sango's younger brother had died, protecting his sister from a fatal wound to the chest. Having finally remembered her. His last words echoed through the starry night._

_"I love you, sister," he whispered as she screamed for someone to help._

_Sesshomaru looked on, still bleeding profusely from the wound to his neck, chest, and lower back. But his sword, the Tenseiga, had been broken. He could do nothing to help anyone who had perished…_

_Rin was laying on the ground, with at the very least a gash to the side of her beautiful face which curved around her left cheek, and down to her jaw line. But Jaken had not been so lucky. A few feet away lay his upper body, thrown against a large jagged stone. And the other half only a few feet away. Sesshomaru slowly walked over to her, pulling her into his arms, shaking._

_"I'm sorry Rin," he whispered to her. "I can't keep my promise and bring everyone back to life. I don't have the power to any longer."_

_Her eyes turned lifeless at hearing those words, but she still held onto him. Looking around at all of the demons he had asked to join in this fight, now lying dead or injured, she cried._

_Sesshomaru held her slightly tighter. Even though she was no longer the little girl he had saved so long ago, he knew she had a right to cry. Those demons may have been his servants, but they had also been her friends for many years._

_Miroku awoke to someone crying over him. _

_As he looked up, he saw Sango, her eyes pouring rivers down her face as she looked at him. She had a long, fine slice over her chest, which was dripping blood onto his chest. He had tried to move his arms to hold her, to show that he was alright, but they wouldn't move. Looking to his sides, he found both of his arms, completely broken, bleeding, and bruised._

_"Sango," his voice cracked. "I'm okay, please don't cry."_

_But she didn't hear him. As she threw herself on top of him, weeping softly, Miroku wished for the life of him that he could move his arms. Turning his head slightly to her, she looked at him, her eyes shiny and almost completely red from all of her tears._

_"It's okay, love," he whispered, giving her a warm smile. "I promised you that I would never leave you."_

_"Miroku?" she asked looking into his eyes._

_He smiled again._

_"Yes,' he whispered back._

_Without any warning, Sango pressed her lips to his, holding him in a fierce hug. His eyes widened for only a moment, but they closed after allowing the simple moment between them to continue._

_When she finally pulled away, she glared at him._

_"Don't ever scare me like that again! Why in god's name would you allow yourself to be thrown so many feet in the air?"_

_"Because, I didn't want it to be you that Naraku threw," he whispered again, taking in a deep breath. "I love you, Sango. And I protect those I love with my mind, body, and soul. Don't ever forget that."_

_Sango sat there for a moment in this open embrace, knowing full well what he would be doing had his arms not been broken. She smiled at him with a warm smile all her own._

_"I love you too, Miroku. And I always have," she whispered back._

_"Then, may I ask you something?"_

_"And that you be?"_

_"Would you do the honor, of bearing my children someday," he said now smiling back. "And marrying me, Sango?"_

_At first, she was shocked. The last line of his proposal was one he had **never** used. Not with anyone. But she smiled even more realizing that._

_"Yes, I will. But you have to have your strength back before we get married."_

_Miroku smiled his small, yet evil smile. Knowing what she meant in more ways than one._

_"Deal."_

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_Kagome lay passed out and nearly dead in Inuyasha's arm. Her soul was weak and barley alive. He didn't know what to do. Without the other half of her soul, which resided in Kikyo now, she would most definitely die. His tears were falling in a rush. Like as though they had no idea how to stop. He was going to lose her. The woman he secretly loved for over eight years now._

_"Kagome, please don't leave me," he whispered to her fragile form in his arms. "I love you, don't you see that? So, you can't die. Not now, not ever. So please wake up." _

_"Inuyasha," a female voice said to him from behind._

_Turning around, he saw Kikyo standing there. Her clothes were torn, but there was no blood on her body. Well, there couldn't be anyways. All she was, was a walking clay doll with a soul trapped inside._

_"Kikyo," he said in a strangled voice. "What should I do?"_

_Seeing the visible torment on his face, Kikyo's expression saddened. Sure, she hated yet loved him, but this hurt more than anything. He was choosing her reincarnation over her. But, she knew from the moment everything started eleven years ago, that Kagome would be the victor over the hanyou's heart and soul._

_"Stand up," she commanded._

_He obeyed, but not as quickly as she hoped. This was something she knew she had to do now. Because now, her soul could finally be at peace._

_As he stood in front of her, he awaited her command to go to hell with her. He knew he had promised, but he truly wanted to stay by Kagome's side._

_"Pull out your sword, Inuyasha."_

_Now he was confused. _' Why is she asking me this?'_ he thought. But he did as she asked. The sword did not transform, because he could not sense any real danger. But what he heard next, shocked him. Kikyo looked up into his eyes, and smiled._

_"Kill me."_

_Inuyasha stared at her. Not believing what he just heard._

_"What?"_

_"Do it, then place my soul back in Kagome's body. It's the only way to truly save her now. Without her soul being complete, she will die. Now please, kill me, so I can also be at peace."_

_"I can't do that! You know I can't," he screamed._

_Kikyo sighed, then gave him a glare._

_"Then if you can't. I will."_

_Before he could say anything in reaction to her last words, Kikyo ran into him, impaling herself on the Tetsusaiga. As he looked at her in shock, she smiled at him._

_"I love you," she whispered as the clay started to crack, allowing all of her souls that she had collected to escape from their tomb. "Don't ever forget that. But now, I think it's your turn to be happy as well. Good luck, Inuyasha, and thank you."_

_With that she placed her final kiss on his lips as her body shattered into dusk. Only one soul, a pure pale pink one remained. As quickly as he could, he grabbed onto the flaming ball of light and sat down next to Kagome. Her skin was even paler than it had originally been. Slowly, he placed the remaining half of her soul over her heart. The one thing that Kikyo no longer had after she had been resurrected._

_As the ball of light slowly sunk into her flesh, Kagome's color and breathing retuned. Inuyasha stared on in amazement as her wounds started to heal instantly too. This was Kikyo's doing. And he smiled with that knowledge. _

_And with that, Kagome opened her eyes. And found herself staring into the golden pair that she loved so much. He was smiling back, and had tears in his eyes as he grabbed her, then held her to his chest._

_"I thought I'd lost you."_

_Kagome was a little startled by his actions. He hadn't hugged her in months. Pulling away, she saw the carnage around her. There were so many humans and demons that had been slain. And now as she looked down at her necklace containing her half of the jewel, she gasped._

_It was whole again._

_"Did we do it? Did we defeat Naraku?" she asked, still looking around._

_Inuyasha chuckled at her, with another smile on his face. Standing up he found himself pulling Kagome into his arms again, and just holding her as they stood on the edge of the remnants of the battlefield._

_Looking back into her eyes, he leaned down and kissed her. Her eyes shot open for only a moment, but then they closed. As she enjoyed the feel of his lips on hers, she found herself smiling at him. And that's when he said the one thing she had asked him before._

_"Yeah, we did."_

_End Flashback….._

"W-what did you just say?" she asked again.

Inuyasha looked over at her. And took a very, deep breath.

"Marry me."

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**I know, I know. The prologue isn't very long. But I had to put it in just the same.**

**And I'm REALLY sorry that it's a cliffy!**

**But, it had to be done.**

**Okay, the first chapter will be up soon.**

**Hope you guys liked the beginning so far.**

**Toodles,**

**Me**

**: P**


	2. Chapter 1: Thought's And Answers

**Hey guys. It's me again. Well, maybe it's time I let out my little secret.**

**As you can see, I have TWO incomplete stories up.**

**Well, I have both of these stories in my head that want to come out.**

**So, I'm going to write them both at the same time!**

**Double the wonder if you ask me.**

**And, if you guys are reading 'Show Me Love' as well as this, then at least I have TWO stories to update every other day!**

**So, I hope no one is mad at me.**

**(glares from all around the room)**

**Oh come on!**

**(Knives are thrown)**

**(runs away) AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Okay, okay, here's the first chapter of 9 Months.**

**I hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Toodles,**

**Me**

**: P**

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_Chapter 1: Thought's and Answers_

_2 days later…._

Kagome was still in a bit of shock from what Inuyasha had said to her. Looking around her room, she found herself still thinking about that night, like as though it was a dream. Yet it wasn't.

_Flashback…_

_"Marry me."_

_Kagome's eyes widened in shock._

_"W-what?"_

_"I'm asking you," he said sighing. "To marry me Kagome. In both human and demon rituals of bonding. What's so hard to understand?"_

_They had been sitting in the tree for a while now, talking about what they would be doing now since Naraku was dead. Kagome had made a comment about Sango and Miroku, how they would be getting married now since the battle was over. And even it seemed something was happening through Rin and Sesshomaru. But it was too early to tell. Koga and Ayame had left the battle ground together, with their hands joined, and smiling at one another. Over the years, he had grown to love her, just like Kagome knew he would. But this, this was the last thing she ever thought would happen. _

_And she was beyond happy about it._

_But, there was still one question left unsaid between them._

_"But what about Kikyo? I thought after the battle you were suppose to follow her into hell? How am I all of the sudden your main interest?"_

_Inuyasha sighed again. But this time, it wasn't a sigh out of annoyance. This time, it was a sigh of relief._

_"Kagome, she's gone."_

_Now, this confused the miko. A lot._

_"What do you mean gone?"_

_"Well, she gave you back her half of your soul. Just like the jewel, it's complete again. Didn't you notice that you don't have a mark on you? When she released her soul back into your body, she healed it as well. But, as I said, she's gone. And now I can have what I want most in this world."_

_Kagome looked at him skeptically._

_"The power of a full youkai?"_

_He stared at her for only a moment, then laughed. To say the least, she was a little startled by this. Inuyasha hadn't laughed in a long time, and never for this long. When he finally calmed down, he focused on her eyes, making her melt into the bark of the tree._

_"No dummy, and I haven't wanted that for a long time now,' he said taking her hands in his, and staring at her with the warmest look on his face that she had ever seen. "I want you."_

_Kagome pulled back, afraid. This had to be a dream. Either that or she really had died during the battle. She knew she loved him, but was she ready for this? Was she really ready to get **married**?_

_Inuyasha noticed her fear, and easily read her mind through her eyes._

_"Look, I know you love me Kagome. But if you're not ready for this, I'll give you all of the time in the world to think about it. And trust me, I **will** wait for you for as long as it takes. I'm not going anywhere. So, just take your time."_

_"Inuyasha?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"I think I want to go home for a few days. Just so I can think about this. Is that okay?" she asked as she searched his eyes for any visible anger. But she found none. She actually found a sense of understanding in those golden orbs she felt in her soul._

_"Sure," he said, still smiling, but now he looked a bit sad. "Just take your time."_

_"Hey, Inuyasha," she said looking down. "Can we get down now?"_

_Without another word, Inuyasha gently picked Kagome up in his arms, and brought her back down to the ground. And as they walked up to the well, he caught her hand before she jumped in. Spinning her around in to his embrace._

_Before Kagome could ask what he was doing, his lips descended upon hers, trapping her in the warmest, most enjoyable kiss she'd ever felt._

_As his tongue gently brushed against her lips, asking permission to enter her mouth, she joyfully accepted. And his low feral growl, turned into a purr, rumbling in his chest._

_She wrapped her arms around his neck and began to run her fingers through his soft locks of silver, until she found his dog ears. Slowly, she began to massage the small fuzzy and soft forms of cartilage on top of his head._

_His kissed deepened within seconds, and the purring noise became louder as he pressed her closer to his strong, lean form. She could feel his fangs teasing the sides of her mouth as he ravished her in this sweet, sensual kiss from heaven. They had never kissed like this before, and had never **been** kissed like this in their lives. But it was simply perfect, to the both of them._

_Inuyasha pulled away from her, gasping for breath, and she was doing the same. As he looked back into her eyes, she had a sly smile on her face, as she massaged his ears again. Before he lost himself in her gentle touch again, he grabbed her hands and gently laid them to rest on his chest._

_"If you keep that up, you won't be able to make choice," he said with his cocky grin she knew so well._

_Kagome laughed, and his ears twitched in happiness. He truly loved her laugh, but she had to go now. And for the first time ever, he was letting her leave. But thankfully, he knew that she would be back soon._

_"You should go," he said with a hint of sadness to his voice. "Or else you'll be here all day, and I won't let you go home." _

_She laughed again. But she nodded, and pulled her legs over the rim of the well. Looking back at him, she smiled. How could she have been so lucky to wind up in the past, and find the one person she truly could never live without._

_"Okay," she said with a new smile on her face. "I'll see you in a few days."_

_"Okay," he said smiling back at her. But before she jumped in, he stopped her with his next words. "Kagome." _

_She turned and looked back at him, he was still smiling, only now it seemed to come from his heart._

_"I love you."_

_End flashback…._

After she had arrived home two day ago, Kagome found herself trying to answer so many questions. Where would they live? In her time or his? What did he mean by the demon way of marriage? How would her mother feel about this? And more importantly, what was going to happen to the shrine now?

Since her grandfather had passed away almost two years ago, the shrine was in her name. It was her inheritance from the old man. And now, if she got married to **anyone**, they would own the house as well along side her.

Souta had moved out months ago to live with his girlfriend, Hitomi. Mom was the only other person living at the shrine with her now. And she couldn't help but feel as though she would be burdening her mother with all of the responsibility.

'_What am I going to do?' _she thought.

Finding herself trapped in her thoughts, she didn't hear her mother talking to her.

"Kagome? Can you hear me honey? Kagome?!"

Startled, she looked over her shoulder, finding her mother holding a tray of tea in her hands.

"Oh, sorry mom," she said looking out her window again. "I was thinking."

"Oh really?" she asked setting down the tray on Kagome's dresser. "What were you thinking about honey?"

"Just a whole bunch of things that are on my mind."

"Like what?"

Kagome looked back at her mother, knowing that there was no way to sway the older Higurashi. Sighing she turned around, and sat up properly.

"It's gonna take a while to explain."

"Well, I'm your mother. So I do in fact have the time," she said with a smile.

Kagome sighed again. just knowing that her mother should be sitting down for this. Grabbing her mothers hand, she gently pulled her down to sit next to her on the bed. Taking a deep breath, she told her mother what she had on her mind. In the most blunt way possible.

"Mom, Inuyasha asked me to marry him."

Within seconds, the older woman was out cold on the floor of Kagome's room.

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"Mom? Mom can you hear me?! Mom! Are you okay?" Kagome panicked.

Mrs. Higurashi slowly opened her eyes, and looked up into her worried daughter's face. But instantly, she remembered what she said, and jumped up.

And started doing a jig in the middle of the room.

"Mom???"

Realizing what she was doing, Mrs. Higurashi stopped her little happy dance and turned to her daughter with the biggest smile imaginable. Kagome shrank back in fear.

"Okay," she said in a shaky voice. "Who are you and what have you done with my mother?"

Mrs. Higurashi laughed and sat back down next to her. Wrapping her arms around her daughter, she squealed in joy. When she finally pulled back, her hyperness had retuned.

"He asked you to marry him? Honey, that's great! So, when is the wedding? Is it going to be in the Feudal Era? Are you going to be wearing a traditional dress or a kimono? How can I-"

"Mom! I didn't even say yes yet! So please, calm down," she nearly shrieked as her mother's rambling finally stopped.

Mrs. Higurashi's mouth shut in under a second. And she gave her daughter a look. (**a/n: I think we ALL know the look I'm talking about.**)

"You haven't given him an answer yet? Well, when did he ask you?"

"The day I came home."

"That was two days ago, Kagome. And you still haven't made up your mind about this?"

"Well," she said sighing. "Don't get me wrong mom. I **do **want to. It's just that…. Well, grandpa left the shrine and everything in my care. I originally thought Inuyasha was going to go to hell with Kikyo. Not stay with me. Now I find out that my soul is whole again, she's gone, and now I have a marriage proposal from Inuyasha hanging over my head like a mouse on a string for Buyo.(**a/n: Yes, the fat cat lives!!! Hahahaha!!**) After grandpa died, I thought that after my mission was done I would be returning here permanently, and then I was suppose to help you with the shrine. But now….. Now I just don't know what to do."

After Kagome talked a little more, Mrs. Higurashi found herself smiling at her daughter. She really had matured over the years. Her sense of responsibility was even stronger than hers had been at the age of 26.

But she knew that Kagome was the type of girl who always followed her heart. This time though, she just needed a little push.

"Sweetheart," She said grabbing her hand. "Tell me, what is it that _you_ want? What are _your _dreams? This shrine will be fine, even if I am the only one taking care of it. You know my job can support this place plus two other homes as well." (**a/n: she's a doctor in this story, just a heads up to all you guys out there.**)

Her mother was right. Her job was the reason they still had the shrine to begin with. But she didn't feel right owning it and having her mother pay for it. But she couldn't do anything about that. When she had tried to give it to her mother, she refused. Saying that someday, this would be _her _home. For _her _family to grow up in.

But how could that happen when the man she loved belonged to another time altogether?

"You'll find a way to belong in this time too," she answered.

"I-I didn't say-"

"You didn't have to sweetie, it was written all over your face," she giggled.

Kagome slumped on her bed. Was she really that easy to read? But then, she thought of something else.

"You do realize if I have any children that they'll most likely be demons, right?"

Mrs. Higurashi was silent for only a moment, but she smiled and answered her daughter just the same.

"As long as you love them, I don't see any problem with it. Just, please, don't let them have Inuyasha's eating habit's. that young man scares me with ho much Ramen he eats. And the fact that he never gets sick from it still amazes me."

Kagome laughed at this. Anytime Inuyasha had been here and eaten in front of her mother, she nearly gagged.

"I guess I could try and make sure that doesn't happen."

"So, what is it **you** want?" she asked kindly.

Kagome didn't need to think twice now. All she did was smile at her mother and stand up. Walking into her closet, she found a nice, light weight, dark lime green summer dress. Her mother walked out of the room smiling. knowing that whatever happened, her daughter would be happy.

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"Hey guys," said a young, teenage male voice. "So, from the look of Miroku back there, I say we won?"

Everyone, meaning Inuyasha, Sango, Rin, Sesshomaru, and even Koga and Ayame all looked up to the figure approaching them.

It was Shippo. All grown up.

All of the males except for Miroku, who was in the hut at the time, growled at the Kitsune youkai as he sat down. Even Sesshomaru was a little pissed at him.

"What?"

"Where were you runt?" Inuyasha said in a harsh tone. "We almost got killed! How come you weren't there?!"

Shippo cringed at hearing the nickname his adoptive father had given him so long ago.

"Geez, relax pops," he said picking up a bowl of rice. "Mom sent me away, she didn't want me getting involved in the final battle for some reason."

"She what!?" he shrieked.

"Yup," he said using his long claws to mix the rice and seasonings. "Why don't you ask her yourself."

"She's not here right now, Shippo," he nearly growled. He never understood why he agreed to be the kit's father. Now he was overprotective of the little shit. Then again, it _was _Kagome's idea.

"Well," he said picking up his chop sticks which were gold and turquoise. Kagome had bought them for him as a birthday present one year, and he ate with them ever since. "Where is she?"

"Home."

Shippo spit his rice out in a fit, spraying Sesshomaru completely. The older youkai looked to his brother, with a look a irritation on his face.

"Brother…" he growled.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know," he said in the same tone.

" Why did she leave now?! What did you fucking do **this **time!?"

"Hey! Watch your mouth! And for your information I didn't do a damn thing you little shit!"

"Don't tell me what to do _old man_!"

Everyone's jaw but Inuyasha's dropped. Yeah, he knew he was old in human years. But he was technically the equivalent of Kagome's age now. Being called OLD was not something he tolerated. Even if it was coming from Shippo.

_"What did you just call me?!"_ he growled as his eyes started to flash.

Shippo gulped. That wasn't suppose to come out.

"Uh, n-nothing!" he laughed nervously waving his hands in front of him.

Inuyasha lunged at his teenage son, about to rip his throat out. Luckily, Sesshomaru caught him.

"Now is not the time, little brother," he said in a bored voice.

"Fuck you!"

"Inuyasha!" a female voice shouted from the path to the well. "I heard that!"

Inuyasha instantly shrunk back, and his ears folded to the side of his head. As he turned around, he saw Kagome, and his heart nearly stopped. She was wearing a beautiful dark lime green summer dress, which stopped at about her knees, and the tiny straps kept slipping from her shoulders. She looked amazing.

"Mom! Pop's tried to attack me again!" Shippo yelled running up to her. He had learned a longtime ago how to get Kagome to use the beads around his neck as a tool, so anytime thing's got out of hand, she could sit him into the dirt.

She instantly put her hands on her hips. And gave him the death look.

"Inuyasha…" she hissed at him. "Come here. Now!"

He gulped, knowing what was coming next.

Shippo snickered at him as he followed after Kagome. As he passed Shippo, he flipped him off.

"Love you too, pop," he mumbled.

"Put that finger down before I break it!" Kagome yelled at him without turning around once. Inuyasha instantly complied, and his ears went down again.

Sesshomaru shook his head. Ever since him and his little brother had settled their differences three years ago, he started to actually feel emotions. And right now, he felt pity.

"Poor Bast-"

"Sesshomaru!" Rin scolded. "What have '**I**'told you about that language?"

Now he was gulping. Sure, Rin was only human, but he would _never _harm her. He was in love with her. But when she got mad, and if it was at him. He felt scared.

"Sorry Rin," he mumbled. _'This sucks'_

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Inuyasha followed Kagome all the way to the Sacred Tree, awaiting his punishment. He really hated the beads, but he never wanted them removed either. They were his connection to her. His first true connection with her.

Kagome stopped right underneath the tree, and slowly turned around to face him. Though she didn't look mad at all. She actually had a smile on her face.

"So," she sighed. "What happened this time?"

Inuyasha blinked. Was this a dream? Well if it was he didn't want to face reality anytime soon.

"Aren't you gonna sit me about twenty times?"

"I will unless you tell me why you went after our son again."

Inuyasha sighed, but started explaining himself. When he was done, Kagome sighed again.

"I'll have a talk with him after we're done."

He blinked again.

"Inuyasha," she said with a slight blush to her cheeks. "I've been thinking about what you said to me a few days ago……And I….." She smiled and walked up to him, gently moving herself to one of his sensitive ears, she whispered. "And I accept."

Inuyasha's eyes widened as she kissed him on one of his ears, and very gently scraped her teeth over the tips of the one she had been whispering in. Slowly, she trailed kisses down the side of his head, down to his jaw line, and then to his lips. Breaking him out of the trance she had put him in.

As she pulled away, she smiled at him.

"S-say that again," he stuttered.

Kagome laughed in her rich, lovely voice, the one he loved to hear.

"I accept," she said a little louder this time. "My answer, is yes."

Without any warning, the hanyou started jumping up and down in the air, screaming.

"WOOHOO!!!!!!!!! SHE SAID YES!!!!!! SHE SAID YES!!!!!!!" he screamed with joy.

Kagome watched him, trying not to laugh. But as he picked her up, and began spinning her around in circles and kissing her she couldn't hold back anymore. She laughed and smiled as her hanyou trailed kisses all over her cheeks, lips, and neck.

And he just couldn't stop. Nor, did he ever want to.

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"WOOHOO!!!!!!!!! SHE SAID YES!!!!!! SHE SAID YES!!!!!!!" someone screamed from the forest of Inuyasha.

Shippo and Sesshomaru choked on their food at the sudden surprise of noise. But after taking a few sips of tea, the Dog Demon Lord managed to get himself under control, and smiled.

"What the hell was that?"

"Shippo, please watch your mouth. There **is **a lady present," Sesshomaru gently scolded his adoptive nephew.

Shippo gulped, but nodded just the same.

"Well, what was that?"

"Whom do you think it was?"

"Well, it sounded like dad, but he _never _sounds _that _happy."

Sesshomaru smiled. This young boy was so naïve.

"What? Did I miss something?"

"Apparently. Your father asked your mother to marry him a few days ago. She went back to her time to think it over. **That's **why she was gone."

Shippo's face turned white.

_'Holy Shit!'_

The young youkai stared at his uncle in shock. And the smug look on his face was starting to irritate him in a very big way. He looked over at Rin, who was just shaking her head at this.

Then, a slow, evil smile spread across his face. After all, he was a fox demon, so mischief was a common trait.

"So, when are you two gonna get married?" he asked coolly.

Sesshomaru instantly started choking on his rice.

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**Ahh, there we go. Well there's the first chapter. **

**I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did.**

**Okay, if anyone out there is also following 'Show Me Love', that chapter will mot likely be put up tonight.**

**But, I seriously need some sleep.**

**I had too many things to do yesterday, and I'm sorry, but I was at my grandmother's place last night.**

**Grandma's House No Internet Connection.**

**Even with a wireless router.**

**Okay, I gotta get some sleep.**

**Goodnight**

**Me**

**: P**

**P.S.- Thank you for the reviews everyone!**

**Okay, toodles**


	3. Chapter 2: Sesshomaru's Confession

_9 Months_

_Chapter 2: Sesshomaru's Confession_

_One month later….._

It had been one month since they had rid the world of Naraku. And they had all stayed together as if they were one big family now. Sesshomaru was still getting use to having emotions, but what his nephew had said to him still bothered him greatly. So now, his thought's plagued his mind daily.

Did he truly _love_ Rin that much? Would he be able to always protect her from harm if she became his mate? Would they every have children? What kind of father would he be like if they did? Would their children suffer because, as it would be for them, they would be hanyou's. How did Rin really feel towards him? And-

"Hey Ses, you got a minute?" a male voice from behind said.

Turning around, Sesshomaru found his younger brother, eating a bowl of Ramen that obviously Kagome had made for him. He sighed and nodded his head, knowing that his brother was probably going to ask him about what he was thinking.

"So, what's on your mind now?" Inuyasha said taking a huge amount of noodles into his mouth. "You seem really out of it lately."

"What do you think?" he said in a bored voice. "Brother, she's all I've thought of since your idiotic son decided to open his mouth. Now I can't get the subject off of my mind."

Inuyasha laughed, causing Sesshomaru to send a little glare in his direction.

"What could possibly be so funny?" he said with a slight annoyance to his voice.

Inuyasha stopped laughing and decided to be serious for once. After all, they had been on good terms for a while now, the **last **thing he wanted to do was piss his older brother off.

"Look," he said setting his Ramen aside for once. "I know how you feel. I went through that for eight years with Kagome. But I fessed up last month about how I really felt for her, and now look at us."

Now he held his hands up, and with every claw, was a point he made.

"We barely fight anymore, we're happy, we're getting married and we'll be mating as soon as Miroku is fully healed and able to be a part of his own wedding, it's not awkward for us to be close to each other anymore, I get along with Koga now, I'm not a complete asshole anymore, and, I don't get sat everyday like I use to."

He had a point. Actually, he had a lot of points.

But that still didn't help him.

Rin was… the girl who had saved him from himself. She never fought with him, unless he was being callus and cruel for no reason, she always kept her distance, even when he wanted her to be close, and, he had no idea how **she **truly felt. So all in all, he was really lost.

"Look, I don't see why you just won't confront her? I managed to do it, and now look at me, I'm happy. Which as you know, is **not **normal for me."

Sesshomaru sat there and thought about that for a moment before answering his kid brother.

"I guess," he sighed. "I guess you're right Inuyasha, maybe I should just ask her."

Inuyasha blinked at his older brother in a slight shock. Sesshomaru usually _never said_ his name. well, unless he was pissed at him that is. But he pushed that aside for now, right now, he had to get his brother to talk and work out his feelings.

"I know I am. So just go ahead and tell her. To be honest, I think she wants to be with you too, she's just scared to be the first one to say it is all."

Sesshomaru's head whipped around to look at his brother. Could that really be it? Was she afraid that he might reject her? He never would, she was the woman of his dreams. And all he wanted for the rest of eternity. But why was he so scared to say anything? He was never scared.

"It's because you're in love with her you moron," Inuyasha said reading his eyes with a cocky grin. "Now look, I know how big your ego is. Do you want **me **to look like the stronger out of the two of us because I confessed and you didn't?"

Now that made Sesshomaru jump up, and head towards the village. Set to find Rin as soon as possible, he quickly walked away from his brother.

Inuyasha smirked as he picked up his half finished bowl of Ramen and started eating again. Then, all of the sudden, to encased in his food, Kagome snuck up behind him and started to rub his ears. The hanyou's eyes rolled into the back of his head as the noodles fell out of his mouth, and into his lap.

Kagome pulled back and laughed as his purr of satisfaction turned into a growl. Slowly, she got very close to his right ear, and started gently scrapping his neck with her nails, which she had come to find was another weakness he possessed.

"Aww," she cooed in his ear, making him shiver. "Did my baby spill his food all over himself because of me?"

That did it, for some reason anytime she called him that, it set off his need to claim her. Throwing the Styrofoam cup over his shoulder, he quickly pulled her down into his arms, and slammed his lips into hers.

For a second, Kagome was startled, but she slowly melted into the kiss of her fiancé's lips. As they started to become incased in their own little world, Inuyasha started stroking her thighs through her jeans, causing little ripples of electricity to course threw her body. Slowly, as he continued the assault on her lips, his hands found their way under her skin tight orange tank top, and to her breast. As carefully as he could, Inuyasha pulled the cup of her bra down with his claws, and gently found his way to her nipple. Upon finding it, Kagome gasped.

He pulled away long enough to see the look on her face. God, she was so beautiful lying there almost beneath him. Her hair was sprawled out like a dark, ebony colored blanket, shining in the suns warm rays. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips swollen from their kisses. And her eyes, those beautiful eyes of hers were sparkling. It was an image he would remember forever.

Quickly, as not to have her make him stop, he kissed her again, but more passionately this time. As she melted into him, he began to trail kisses down her neck. As he made it to her collar bone, he tensed slightly. In a few weeks, he would be biting her there. Marking her as his mate for the rest of his life. Luckily, since he was the one in control this time around, he could hold it off. So instead of biting her, he gently ran his fangs along her neck, making her moan his name.

Her desire for him was growing by the second, almost to the point where even the villagers should feel her lust. Her head was spinning from the things he was doing to her. And he was in complete control of her right now. Thankfully, they had decided to wait until their joint wedding with Sango and Miroku to mate, but damn, he was _really_ making that harder to do.

Inuyasha could smell her arousal now, and it was complete bliss to his nose. It smell of vanilla and roses to him, and he wished that he could just taste her once before they mated.

Stopping the lustful assault on her now, taught, tight nipple, he moved his hand to the hem of her shirt and pulled it up, now exposing her white, creamy flesh to the suns light. What he saw was beautiful. Her nipple was pink, and rather swollen from him rubbing and teasing it as much as he had. Slowly, he stopped kissing her neck, and brought his lips down to her tiny peak, and gently began to suck on it.

"Inuyasha," she moaned again, this time her voice was husky as she said it.

Now that his hand was free, it slowly trailed down her stomach. Teasing her skin with his claws as he went further, he slowly un-buttoned and zipped her jeans, finding what he wanted so badly to touch. But that's when the moment was completely ruined.

By no other than their son.

"Hey, what are you two doing n-"

Kagome snapped out of her trance that moment and looked in front of her, finding Shippo with his eyes popping out of his head and blushing in embarrassment. Inuyasha slightly turned his head to look at him, but his mouth never left Kagome's breast. And he was there now, frozen in place, with his mouth on one thing, and his hand down her pant's.

Total. Utter. Silence.

That's when Shippo decided to turn around and scream, running away, he shouted at the both of them.

"For the love of god! Get a frickin' room!"

"Watch your mouth!" Inuyasha shouted, finally pulling away from Kagome's exposed breast.

"Hey dad, do **me **a favor and watch **yours**!!!" he shouted back, finally disappearing over the hill and back into the village.

Inuyasha growled, now, he **really **wanted to beat the kitsune.

Kagome burst out laughing after a second, and started to rearrange herself. Inuyasha looked at her at first wit a glare. But that instantly turned into a pout as he realized that playtime was over. Kagome stared at him, very amused.

"You know we had a deal," she said buttoning up her pants. "Only two more weeks to go."

Inuyasha sighed.

"I know," he said still pouting. "But did he have to do that? That's the third time already that he's interrupted us. I'm starting to get pissed at him."

She laughed again, knowing how her hanyou's temper was. He'd be fine in about a minute. So, she decided to change the subject as she nestled into his arms.

"So," she said looking up at him. "How did things go with your brother?"

Now Inuyasha had a reason to smile.

"I won the bet. His pride got to him just like I said it would," he said kissing her forehead. "So, don't forget to pay up."

Now Kagome was sighing, only for different reasons.

"Fine, I'll buy you some more Ramen tomorrow. Now tell me what happened."

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"Miroku, don't even think about it," Sango's voice rang out in the silence of the hut. "You're still too weak to be picking things up. Now, put that wood down. Now."

Miroku shrugged as he dropped the wood that he had grabbed from outside to help start the fire for dinner. He hated to admit it, but he was getting tired of being babied by his fiancé. And he missed her slapping him too. But she said that would only start again as soon as he started to act like a pervert again.

His arms were no longer broken, but still very weak. Lifting them both above his head was a task all in it's self. Sango had been worried when Kaede had told them that he might not be able to use them both again, depending on the damage, but it seemed as though fate was on their side now. As Miroku healed, everything else seemed to as well.

They had already talked about children, and Sango had asked, if they had a boy, could they name him after her brother. Miroku smiled at the time as she gently cleaned the gashes in his arms, that were finally beginning to heal, and told her she could name any children they had anything she wanted to. As long as one son was named after him and his father, he would be all set.

Miroku slowly pulled himself up, trying not to put too much strain on his arms, and walked over to her. She held a nasty scar over her chest from the battle which seemed so long ago, and Miroku felt his inner pain return everytime he saw it. Walking up behind her, he slid his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. He nuzzled her neck with his nose, a form of affection he only saved for her, and whispered.

"Sango, I'm not a child. I can help you now that I can use my arms again. So please, don't worry so much."

Sango turned around in his embrace, gently resting her arms around his neck. Looking into his vibrant, deep violet eyes, she smiled.

"I can't help it," she said resting her chin on his shoulder in return. "I still have nightmares about what happened. How Kohaku died in my arms, and how I felt when I thought I'd lost you. I think about it all the time."

Miroku sighed. He knew about the nightmares, she would always wake up screaming and clutching at her scar, crying. Since they had decided to wait until there wedding night, and everyone knew how much of a letch he was, he slept in the room next to hers. When he had finally found the strength to pull himself out of bed a few days ago, he ran into her room and wrapped his arms around her. Stroking her hair and shushing her softly, he finally managed to get her to fall asleep. Thing was, he couldn't move her, nor did he have the heart to. She actually looked peaceful in his arms as she slept. So, kicking the blanket up over them, he went to sleep there.

That morning, when he woke up, Sango was playing with a string on his robes. When she looked up at him with a small smile on her face and a blush.

"Thank you for staying with me last night," she had said in a small voice.

He had kissed her forehead, since it was all he could reach at the time, and told her not to worry, that he wasn't going anywhere.

But now, she seemed like the one who was far away.

"Sango," he said having her look in his eyes. "My darling Sango, now that I have you all to myself, do you really think I'm going anywhere?"

She could feel her tears in the back of her eyes, she really had been scared to death that day for many reasons. And she had luckily only made it out with one, large battle scar across her chest. But, if she had lost him to, she would have most likely killed herself.

Miroku's fingers gently brushed against the rather thin scar. He found himself wondering what he would have done had he lost her too. He probably wouldn't have been able to find the will to live that day. She truly meant the world to him. And now, he finally had her love, all to himself.

He suddenly chuckled as he thought about something, which made her look up at him confused.

"What?" she asked.

"Oh nothing, I was just thinking that-"

"Aw man! Not you guys too!" a voice in the doorway said.

They both looked towards the front opening in the hut and found Shippo there. His face was completely red, and it was obvious that he had seen something he really wished he hadn't. Miroku sighed, knowing it was most likely something to do with his parents.

"What's wrong now Shippo?" he sighed again talking to the kitsune in a bored voice. "Did you walk in on Inuyasha and Kagome making out again?"

"Worse," he said, sounding like he was going to be sick.

Now, this had both of their interests.

"Well," Sango said slightly moving out of Miroku's arms. "What did you see that was so bad?"

He looked at them then, with his eyes wide. And figured that being suttle was not worth the time today. He put it out as bluntly as he could, making there eyes pop, and their jaws nearly reach the ground.

"They were pretty much about to make me a little brother or sister."

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Sesshomaru had been all around the village by now, looking for Rin. He found her scent everywhere, but no Rin.

He was now starting to get worried, she had been gone all day long, and she hadn't said where she would be. Something he had become accustomed to over the past few months. Whenever she had left his side, she always told him where she was going, maybe to relax him, or something more.

Following her scent of Lily's and rain water, Sesshomaru found himself heading to the remnants of the battlefield. He had no idea why she kept coming here, because it only made her sad to look at the graves. Jaken's especially. The little toad had been a very good companion when she was a child, and had saved her many times over the years. But, he wanted to be a part of the last battle so badly, wanting to help as best he could in his old age, that Sesshomaru had allowed him to go. Looking back now, it had been a very foolish decision on his part. But if it hadn't been for Jaken, Rin would most likely be gone.

Naraku had thrown a large, electric sword at Rin, trying to distract him from striking. But Jaken had seen it coming, and jumped in front of it. Rin's left cheek had been slashed open in the process, by her face catching the very tip of the blade. Jaken had been thrown a few feet back, and slashed in half. Dying instantly.

Rin had cried for days over the loss, and it had taken her the entire month to be able to sleep though the night again. Sesshomaru had been there for her as best he could, holding her and rocking her gently in his arms as she cried into the night. But she still felt grief, and as he rounded the corner, he found her over Jaken's gravesite.

She had come here everyday, placing flowers on his grave. All of the flowers in fact were the only one's he had ever liked. Yellow daisies. And all of them were laid gently on the mound of dirt, some were flattened to fit the surface, and others were scattered about. But Rin had done all of this, and she was sad again. Something that even Sesshomaru knew Jaken wouldn't have been happy about.

Slowly and quietly, he walked up to her. Smelling her silent tears as they fell on the flowers bellow her.

"Rin," he whispered.

She turned around in that instant and glared at him, making him a little nervous.

"Why did you let him go?" she asked harshly.

He was a little stunned by her change in attitude, but answered her anyways.

"Because he wanted to go."

"You knew how old he was Sesshomaru! You knew he couldn't fight any longer! So why did you let him kill himself?! Why?!" she yelled at him.

Now he was cringing. He hated when she yelled at him and made him feel so weak. But he understood why she was mad. At least that he did know about her.

"Because, it was what he wanted Rin," he said back in a quiet voice.

"I wish it had been me instead," she mumbled under her breath.

But Sesshomaru had heard her, and instantly went to her side. Gabbing her arms, he turned her to him roughly, making her see his angry gaze.

"Don't **ever **say that again!" he growled at her. "Jaken sacrificed his life for you! How can you be so disrespectful?! And don't ever think I would wish to see you dead. I've seen that once before, I can't handle it happening again!"

But she didn't back down. She loved this man, this monster, this beast. But she sure as hell wasn't scared of his wrath.

"Why do you care if I die? Like my loss would have affected you at all! You haven't even paid **your **respects to Jaken! So why would it have bothered you so much if it had been me?" she hissed, giving him a look of death and hurt at the same time.

He pulled his hands away from her and looked at the ground. This wasn't going well, not in the least. She was angry at him, and hurt by something he didn't understand.

"Because…."

Now Rin was getting frustrated with him. She hated being so cold to this man, but it seemed to be the only way her inner pain would come out.

"Because why? What is so special about me still being here that makes any difference? And why do you care all of the-"

In that instant, his head shot up. His eyes were angry and glowing red now, and it was almost the reason she stopped her rant on him. But what he said to her next, had her speechless.

"Because I love you! That's why I care so much! If it **had **been you that died, I would be lost! You're the reason I wanted to feel again Rin! You're the reason I learned how to feel true emotions without feeling weak or afraid! You changed me, from the callus, cold bastard that I was into the man I am today! Can't you see that! I-LOVE-YOU!!!" he practically shouted in her face.

Rin sat there for a moment in shock, not knowing what to say.

_'He loves me? Is this for real?'_

"S-Sesshomaru???"

His eyes became normal in an instant, and they widened. _'Did I really just say __**all **__of that?' _he wondered stupidly. But by the look of complete shock on her face, he had. Sighing, he knew he had to find a way to make her believe him, even if it meant saying it again.

But as he went to take a deep breath and begin again, Rin's lips pressed into his, creating a warm feeling in his chest. This was his first kiss, ever, and it was with her. He could smell her fresh set of tears as they rolled down her face. But these tears didn't reek of sadness of grief, these tears smelled of pure joy.

And that's when he smiled against her lips and kissed her back. Pulling her closer, which his instincts had told him to do, he slightly deepened it. Gently brushing his lips against hers again, he took in her scent. It seemed a lot warmer now and more noticeable on her skin. Like this kiss had awakened something inside of her.

His lips were softer than she had even imagined. They tasted like the rain almost, and his fangs were tickling the sides of her mouth playfully. She never though that Sesshomaru would feel anything close to this for her. But he had, and he had actually told her. She felt blessed beyond belief.

As they pulled away for air, Sesshomaru smiled a rare, beautiful smile at her, that made her melt into his arms again. And now her head was resting in his lap comfortably. But she looked back up at her youkai, and smiled as well.

"I love you too, Sesshomaru," she whispered stroking his chin with her nails gently. "I always have, and always will."

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**Yay! Chapter two is done!**

**How did you guys like it?**

**I worked my butt off on this one all day, so I hope it came out all right.**

**Well, now I have to work on 'Show Me Love's next Chapter.**

**Which will most likely be done in a day or two.**

**That is, as long as I actually get some sleep!**

**Yes, I'm a sleep deprived writer.**

**Now I actually fit the title perfectly huh?**

**Okay then, let me know what you guys thought.**

**And to everyone who has sent me reviews so far…**

**THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH!!!! YOU GUYS ROCK!!!!**

**Okay, until next time.**

**Toodles,**

**Me**

**: P**


	4. 3:Girls Night Out And Other Things

**Hi everyone!**

**I am sooooooo super sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up!**

**But, as you can see by the scrollbar to your right, it's a wicked loooooong chapter!**

**20 pages to be precise.**

**And I am really hoping everyone likes it.**

**Also….**

**I just want to say thank you to everyone for the reviews so far.**

**And thank you everyone for not killing me yet for taking so long!**

**(Everyone grumbles and growls)**

**Oh come on! It was a lot of writing!**

**(Someone throws a piece of rolled up paper at my head)**

**Thunk!**

**That's not very nice!**

**(pouts)**

**Oh well, at least it wasn't cottage cheese.**

**: D**

**Okay, here's chapter three for you! **

**: D**

**Have fun!**

**Me**

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_Chapter 3: Girls Night Out… And Other Things_

It was only a day until both the weddings/matting's were to happen, and Kagome had been fighting with Inuyasha about trying to bring the girls over to her time for a girls night out. Well, she wasn't only fighting with her hanyou about this. Sesshomaru, Koga, and Miroku weren't all too happy about it either.

"Boys, I don't understand why you're all against this!" she practically yelled at all of them. The girls had agreed that since they were all to be either mated or married the next day, that they should stick with tradition and stay away from their males the night before. "It's tradition, and I highly doubt you guys want to be cooped up all night like you have been. So go out tonight and have some fun."

"The answer is no!" they all shouted at her, earning the death glares of their females in the process.

"Kagome, this is ridiculous!" Koga said almost growling. "I've never heard of this, and I highly doubt Ayame wants to be _that_ far away from me for one whole night."

"Oh really?" she said sarcastically. Looking behind her, she gestured for the other three women to come forward. "Ladies?"

All of the men seemed to easily shrink back in fear now. The looks they were all getting could have even made any evil demon run away in fear as all four of these women gave them the look of sheer anger and possible death.

Kagome smiled in triumph, knowing that know these males would see things her way no matter what. Looking to her own fiancé, she folded her arms over her chest and gave him a smug, cocky smile all her own.

"It seems I've won," she said with a sparkle in her eyes.

Inuyasha growled and looked to his male friends and older brother, but his ears folded as he caught their gazes.

"Inuyasha, I just recovered from having two broken arms," Miroku stated looking back at Sango. "I'll be damned to give her an actually reason to re-break them."

He looked to Koga.

"I'd rather not be castrated the night before my mating, so sorry dude."

He now looked to his brother, the one male in that room whom he knew wouldn't allow this to happen. But he was dumbstruck as he looked at his brother, who was visibly sweating as he was staring at Rin. When he looked back to his brother, he put on the weakest smile he had ever seen on the lord youkai's face.

"I'm with the wolf on that one, little brother. So sorry."

Now it was his turn, he knew that if at least his friends didn't have the balls to stand up to three human women, and one wolf demon, then by god he would. But as he was about to open his mouth, Kagome pulled out her one card of cruelty she possesed.

"I'll never buy you Ramen again."

His mouth snapped shut. Now that was one thing he couldn't say anything to her about. Yeah, he knew she could be cruel and just sit him, but that was a really low blow. Lowering his head in defeat, Inuyasha muttered a few choice words as all four of the women left the hut, smiling in their victory.

"Is it just me," Shippo said, finally breaking the silence. "Or did all of you just get scared by four women?"

Everyone glared at the kit standing in the doorway, who had the cockiest smile on his face. Sesshomaru, Koga, Miroku, and Inuyasha all looked at each other, and nodded in silent agreement with each other.

"Lets get him!" they all said lunging at the kit, who gulped in response.

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"Trust me girls," Kagome said with the biggest smile ever on her face. "This will be fun, plus, we all need a little time away from our boy's. And my mom has already set everything up for us so we can just have a good time tonight."

"But Kagome, are you sure **all** of us can go through the well?" Ayame asked looking almost grim. "I mean, I heard only you and Inuyasha could go through it into your time."

Kagome nodded and looked to Sango, who just smiled at her. Sango turned to Ayame and pulled out a small photo of her and Kagome in front of the shrine which Mrs. Higurashi had taken a few weeks ago. Ayame examined the small, thin piece of paper, then looked up to Sango and Kagome confused.

"Since the jewel is complete, Kagome wanted to see if she could bring anyone through the well from this time to hers," Sango explained pointing to the photo again. "This is right in front of Kagome's home."

Ayame's eyes widened, then a small smile spread across her face as she looked back at the photograph. So she would be in Kagome's time for the rest of the day and night. She could hardly wait.

"So, when do we leave?" she asked.

Kagome felt herself smiling at the female wolf demon she had become such good friends with. Minus the smog in her era, which Inuyasha seemed to hate, she knew Ayame would like her time. Looking to all of her girlfriends, she started running to the well. As they all followed her, they started laughing at her eagerness, but in truth, none of them could wait to go to her time either.

As Kagome stopped in front of the well, everyone else did as well. She explained that she would only be able to bring them over one at a time, just because the well wasn't very wide and it seemed to be the only way anyone else could cross over was if they were holding onto her. When they all nodded in understanding, Kagome laughed.

"Okay, so who's going first?"

Ayame raised her hand as quickly as possible, and Kagome laughed again.

"Okay, grab a hold of my hand and get up here."

As Ayame took Kagome's outstretched hand and jumped up to he mouth of the well, she looked down into it and gulped. It was very dark and she couldn't see the bottom at all. But she refused to let herself back down. Koga had been teasing her earlier, saying she wouldn't have the guts to go down the well and leave his side for so long without coming back. Well, she was going to prove his ass wrong on that one.

"Are you ready?" Kagome asked looking at her.

A moment later, Ayame nodded her head. And waited for Kagome's command to jump down.

"Okay, now remember. Do **not** let my hand go for nothing. If you do, you'll be stuck between both times."

Now gulping back her nervousness, Ayame nodded again. And as Kagome jumped off the well, she followed suit, shutting her eyes as she felt herself falling down into the darkness of the well.

Within seconds, she opened her eyes and found herself at the bottom of the well with Kagome, who was looking up and smiling at something.

"Hi mom!" she shouted up through the well. "I have one of the girls with me. But I have to go back and get the other two."

Ayame looked up at the person Kagome was talking to, and her eyes widened in shock. There, standing over the well, was Kagome's mother smiling down at them. She looked almost exactly like her daughter, minus the fact that she was obviously a lot older, and her hair was short.

"Who do you have with you honey?" she asked smiling.

Kagome looked to Ayame and smiled as she started making her way up the well's ladder. Ayame followed, waiting to reach the top and introduce herself to the older woman. But found herself a littler shy as she looked at her.

"This is Ayame, the wolf demon I told you about," Kagome said warmly to her mother, sensing her friends nervousness. "Ayame, this is my mother, Sachi Higurashi."

Sachi (**a/n: Which means the name 'Joy' in Japanese.**) smiled warmly at the young wolf youkai in front of her.

"Just call me Sachi," she said in her naturally warm and gentle voice. "And thank you for coming with my daughter."

Ayame smiled at the older woman in front of her and nodded. Looking back to Kagome and smiling, she made a move to go by the other woman's side.

"Go and get the others. I think there waiting to meet your mom as well."

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After everyone had been introduced, minus Sango, who instantly jumped out of the well and hugged Kagome's mother, everyone ran into the house and started talking about what they would be doing that night. Ayame, and Rin wanted to see the rest of the town and go sight seeing. But Kagome and Sango both thought that maybe taking them to the movies and just relaxing was a better choice.

Since the last time Sango had come here, and ended up wandering off in the city, Kagome was worried about that happening again. And the thought of losing either of these women to her world was a no go in her mind.

"But we promise we won't run off!" the two women whined at her.

"That's what Sango said last time I brought her here. Then I ended up finding her in the middle of a fight with six guys in a bar," she stated pointing a finger at her best friend, who blushed shrinking back.

"But we won't do that!" they said in unison once again.

Kagome sighed, thinking that maybe bringing them both over was a bad idea now. Ever since the incident with Sango had happened, she was very nervous of anyone else she brought to her time. But she had figured that these two ladies would just want to check out the things in her house and just be satisfied there. But now she found herself trapped. And not wanting to fight, she nodded at them.

"Okay," she sighed. "But if you take off on me once, we're coming straight back here. But I need to find something else for you guys to wear."

As she turned and ran up the stairs, Sango followed her. Knowing that Kagome's clothes were far more interesting than staying downstairs, she found herself smiling as the door to her friends room came into view.

When Sango walked in, she found Kagome throwing things out of her closet in a fury. She seemed a little upset to say the least, but she wasn't going to tell everyone how she felt about this. After all, what was the worst that could happen?

_'Ayame could end up killing someone who came onto her, Rin could say that her husband to be was a demon lord, Sango could get into another fight…'_

"Kagome? You okay there?" she heard Sango's voice say from behind her.

Interrupted from her thoughts, Kagome faced her best friend and sighed.

"What's going to happen if those two get lost like you did? I'm going to be a wreck the entire time we're out now. And this was suppose to be a night of relaxation."

"And fun, as I heard you state earlier," Sango pointed out sitting on the bed. " Look, both of those two, just like you and me, **need **this tonight. And all they want to do is check everything out. Because you know the minute we all go back, those two will most likely never be able to return here. Full blown youkai men are very overprotective of their mates. So lets just go out tonight and have as much fun as possible. Plus, didn't you want to get something done tonight anyways?"

Kagome was now grinning at her friend, realizing what she had forgotten completely about.

She had been planning it for a while now, but she wanted to get a tattoo tonight. And since Inuyasha wouldn't be with her, she figured she could get it done now without him freaking out over a needle piercing her skin over and over again. Allowing herself to laugh at the thought of her hanyou watching her get it done, Sango looked at her sideways, now very confused.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Oh nothing," she said pulling out a pair of torn jeans from underneath the pile on her floor. As she put them on, Sango hopped over to the closet and resumed looking for something to give Ayame and Rin in Kagome's place. And also to find something for herself as well.

Moving the hangers around, she found a very interesting piece of clothing all the way in the back. It was a deep red, and seemed to cup you in all the right places and had lace everywhere. It was very skimpy for something in Kagome's style, so, upon pulling it out, she walked back out of the closet, holding the hanger on her index finger.

"What the hell is _this_ thing?" she asked.

When Kagome looked up after fixing the clasp on her bra, she froze and turned a few shades of red that had Sango perplexed.

"Well," she prompted.

"Uh, its um," Kagome stuttered.

"Well???" she asked dragging the word out.

"It's uh…. Lingerie."

Sango's eyes widened in shock. Looking back and forth between the garment in her hands and Kagome, her face flushed. Within seconds, she dropped it on the floor and covered her eyes and began to rub them furiously.

"That's a really bad mental image right there!" she shouted at her friend who was now laughing at her. "Bad image! Go away!"

Kagome was rolling on the floor in her laughter now.

"There's one in there for you too, Sango," she said between gasps for air. "I figured it would be my wedding present to you and Miroku!"

Sango's jaw dropped, and as she ran into the closet, she screamed as she ran out. Holding the flimsy dark purple piece of cloth in her hands, she shook it in Kagome's face in a fit. Which only made Kagome laugh at her even more.

"Why, in the name of all things holy would you buy me something like _this_?!" she shrieked. "Miroku won't be able to keep his paws off me!"

"Well, Sango, that the _point_ of your wedding night!" Kagome said laughing at her once again.

Sango turned red once again as she thought it over, but then a small smile spread across her face as those thought's deepened.

"Hey, Kagome," she said now swinging the small outfit around her finger. "We should go and get one for Rin and Ayame too. Just think of the look on those two male youkai's faces if they saw their mates in these get ups?"

Kagome sat there and thought about that for a moment, and smiled an evil smile at her best friend.

"Do me a favor, go in the bathroom and put it on and I'll call the girls up here and we'll ask them if they want to torture their men as badly as we're going to. What do you say?"

As her smile widened to her ears practically, Sango booked it down the hallway and shut the bathroom door behind her. Kagome found herself laughing again as she ran down the stairs and finding the girls both studying the TV in the living room. She remembered when Inuyasha had done the same thing so many years ago, now whenever he was here, he'd just turn it on and find something to watch. He mostly liked anything that had to do with fighting shows, but she caught him a few times over the years watching a soap opera. Which he _always _denied watching.

"Hey guys, come upstairs for a second will ya? There's something me an Sango want to show you."

Rin and Ayame both looked at the miko skeptically, but followed her up the stairs into her room after a moment. And when they both walked back in, they gasped as they looked at Sango.

She was wearing a tiny, skimpy, dark purple cloth only covering her breasts and torso. Her breasts were highly more pronounced in the outfit, along with the natural curves of her body. And despite how slutty she looked, they both had to admit, it looked amazing on her. But why on earth would she be wearing something like that?

"So," she said turning around in a circle for them. "You think Miroku will like it tomorrow night?"

Judging from the twinkle in her eyes, Rin and Ayame found themselves smiling at the young woman in front of them. Turning to Kagome, who was now awaiting there demands, Rin spoke first, and had a hint of mischief in her voice.

"Can get one in white? It's Sehssy's favorite color," she said with a smile on her face.

"Me too," Ayame said suddenly with a wide smile. "Only in Green? Koga _loves _it when I wear something green!"

Kagome looked to her best friend with a huge smile on her face. Turning back to the ladies, who were now glowing the thought's of their men seeing them in something this seductive on the night they married, Kagome grabbed her keys to her car, and walked to the door. And as she turned in the doorway, Kagome made the gesture for them to follow her.

"Come on ladies, we're going out to do some shopping."

_Back in the Feudal Era…_

After the boys had thought that Shippo had learned his lesson after they knocked him out and left him naked in the middle of the forest, they all headed back to the hut, to find Kaede returning from the village she had been visiting. When she spotted all of them, she looked for the young women who normally were very close by, but they didn't seem to be here.

"Where are ye's other companions?" she asked as Inuyasha walked past her.

He grunted as he answered her in his pissed off, and annoyed sounding voice.

"In Kagome's time until tomorrow."

She looked to the other three men, and they all growled in response. She knew that tomorrow was the wedding for both Miroku, Sango, Inuyasha and Kagome. And also that Ayame, Koga, Rin and Sesshomaru would be mating tomorrow as well. She knew exactly how stressed the girls had been. From dealing with the fight's all four of these men had been continuously getting into thanks to Shippo, and worrying about the double wedding she would be performing the next day for them.

Knowingly, she dropped the subject and went to a different one.

"Where is Shippo?"

All of the sudden, Miroku and Sesshomaru stared laughing, and nearly falling to the ground. Koga shook his head, smiling a toothy grin at the old woman. that's when she turned to Inuyasha and scowled, placing her hands on her hips.

"Please tell me ye didn't leave him in the woods naked again?" she asked sighing.

That's when Inuyasha burst out laughing at the old woman, and even Koga followed suit shortly. She shook her head at all of them, knowing they should be ashamed of themselves. But, she knew in her heart, that the kit had it coming for a while now. His mouth had become such a problem with all four of these males in question, that she was surprised that this hadn't happened again a lot sooner.

"Ye are all so childish," she murmured to herself as she started the fire to prepare dinner.

All of the men walked outside, leaving Kaede alone until dinner was ready, and they all found themselves instantly sad.

They missed their women.

Badly.

Miroku found himself missing Sango's temper and slaps to the face. He had figured out after years of knowing her it was her way to play his little game. And she joyfully did it now, just not as hard as she use to. He missed her smile and her voice already, wishing he could hear it one more time today.

Koga found himself missing Ayame's beautiful, green eyes. And how they seemed to melt and blend with the sun as it set. He missed her smile too, and her tiny delicate fangs as they poked out just barely touching her bottom lip.

Sesshomaru missed his Rin. Just plain and simple. He missed her smile, and her laugh, even the way she would scold him about his language and grumpy attitude. He missed her scent too. And he found he was about to go insane without her near him.

Inuyasha found himself in the same league as his brother, only much deeper and lonelier. Kagome had been his lifeline for so many years now, that being away from her was torture. Sure, she always use to go home to her time, for weeks at a time as soon as she had started another form of school she called 'collage'. But she had only left maybe for a few hours a day since they had come together this way. And even though he was the only other person who could go through the well without Kagome's help, he felt the tug in the back of his mind telling him to stay.

Looking at the others, he decided that tonight, they would have some fun he knew their girls would possibly kill them for if they ever found out. As the slow, evil smile spread across his lips, Inuyasha started walking back into the hut, and started shuffling threw all of the things Kagome had started bringing over when she turned 21 five years ago.

What he found made him smile even more. Since tonight was his human night, he could fully enjoy these amazing things.

Alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol.

When it had been Kagome's birthday a few months ago, Sango and Miroku had asked if she could bring some of this stuff over to celebrate. It had taken a little convincing, but eventually she caved in and asked her mom to pick it up for her a day before her birthday. When she had come back the day before her birthday, she had asked him if he could help her bring it over, because surprisingly, Mrs. Higurashi had bought a lot.

It had taken about four trips, but they had managed to bring everything over.

Looking over the labels of the bottles, he found one that made him laugh.

Smirnoff 100 Proof Vodka.

Sango had been drinking this stuff like water that night. And she ended up being all lovey dovey with everyone, especially Miroku. She had cuddled and kissed the monk repeatedly on the cheek and acted like a little girl with a crush. Miroku was just as gone as she was, so Inuyasha had to play safety hanyou with the two, just to make sure nothing bad happened. To this day, Sango still had no idea what she had done, and it was funny as hell.

Miroku only remembered bits and pieces, but nothing all that detailed, so Sango's secret was safe, for now.

Kagome had surprisingly drank the most, having two bottles of vodka, and some spiced rum called 'Captain Morgan'. But she ended up getting sick, and Inuyasha took care of her the entire night.

Even though her speech had been slurred, and she was beyond her right state of mind, she had told him a lot of things she had been feeling.

And then she told him she loved him for the very first time.

To be honest, he had been very surprised. But he then figured she was drunk and beyond anything remotely sane, and then she told him why she loved him, and why it hurt her so much to stay silent about her feelings.

He wanted to tell her the same, but because of Kikyo, he felt he would be betraying her. So, after Kagome had passed out and stopped throwing up, he stayed awake all night long and watched over her.

Those memories were some of his best before they had defeated Naraku, and now everything was going beyond well for all of them.

Since Koga's entire tribe had died in the battle, him and Ayame had decided to stick close by to the group, and eventually start a new pack. He realized that him and the wolf had a lot in common as well. Besides fighting all the time, they both cared deeply about their women, and wanted to make sure they were always happy. Koga had even stood up for him a few times, which had saved his ass from being sat by Kagome.

Yeah, the wolf was cool now. It only took eleven years to figure that out.

And for Koga to stop hitting on Kagome.

Finally running back outside, he found his male friends and brother sitting under the Sacred Tree, all mopping. He sat down between Miroku and Koga and sighed. He had to admit, this _was_ hard. Without all of the women being around to yell and scream at them for petty things, it was boring as hell for all of them.

"I miss my Sango's temper already," Miroku sighed.

Inuyasha laughed.

"You seriously _love_ the way she beats the shit out of you huh?" he asked.

Miroku thought about that for a moment, then nodded and smiled at him.

"It's how I know she love's me. Tell me, don't you miss Kagome and her stubborn attitude as well my friend?"

Now Inuyasha had to _really_ think about that for a moment. True, he missed her just in general. Her smile, her laugh, her eyes of liquid chocolate, and even her scent. But her attitude, the abuse, and the sittings?

Yup, he missed those traits of hers too.

Just not the sittings as much as the rest.

"Yeah," he sighed reclining against the back of the tree. "I miss her like crazy. And even though she use to leave all the time, it hurts even more than usual. I guess I'm just a little nervous she'll chicken out tomorrow, that's all."

"Oh please," Koga scoffed at him. "Kagome's always wanted to be with you. Do you **seriously** think she'll skip her own wedding and mating? I highly doubt it."

Inuyasha glared at the wolf. There were times even this guys attitude bugged him.

"So," he said in a calm voice. "You're not a little scared about tomorrow either?"

"Hell no."

"And why's that?"

"Because Ayame wouldn't do that to me. And the only thing I'm worried about is if I'll be able to protect her well enough."

Now everyone was silent, and all thinking the same thing.

"I wish they had stayed," Sesshomaru sighed. "Rin's the only person who keeps me sane around you three."

"Don't forget my son, Ses," Inuyasha mumbled with a hint of a laugh.

Now everyone was laughing, thinking about what they had done to Shippo only a few hours ago. Knowing the Kit, he was either still passed out and naked in the woods, or he was planning his counter attack on all of them right now. Which was fine either way for all four of them. It was after all, four against one.

"He's going to be so pissed," Koga choked out as he continued laughing.

"About what?" Miroku added still laughing as well. "About being stripped down and left in the woods? Or by the fact that Sesshomaru dumped him in a pile of poison ivy this time?"

Now Sesshomaru had fallen to lay on the ground, laughing harder than all of them.

"The little bastard deserved it," he practically squeaked. "He called me Uncle Fluffy again!"

Inuyasha shook his head at his older brother. A long time ago, he never thought he'd see the day where Sesshomaru would laugh whole heartedly. Never mind laughing so hard he could no longer sit up straight.

Sitting back against the tree, he closed his eyes and let his mind wander. Drowning out the laughs of everyone around him, Inuyasha smiled as an image of Kagome's face appeared in his mind.

_'Kagome,'_ he thought. '_I wonder what you're doing right now?'_

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Are you seriously going to do it?" Rin asked Kagome as they entered the tattoo parlor.

Kagome smiled and set her bags down near the counter. They had been shopping for almost three hours, and it was now four o'clock in the afternoon. Rin and Ayame had been a lot better than Sango had been her first time coming to her era. They never left her side unless they had gone into a dressing room to try something on.

Rin had found a set of pajama's she liked. They were orange and white with small puppies on them, and she had found her little outfit she wanted to wear tomorrow night as well.

Ayame hadn't found anything that really sparked her interest, minus her outfit for Koga. The one thing that had really interested her was a leather corset and mini skirt she found in Hot Topic. Kagome had been in complete awe as her friend had stepped out of the dressing room in the outfit, along with knee high stiletto heels, and a spiked dog collar. Ayame had twirled around in front of the mirror for nearly a minute before giving Kagome the puppy dog eyes.

Kagome had laughed at her, but bought the outfit none the less.

Sango, had she been from this era, was a shopaholic. She had found two pairs of jeans, three tube tops, some thongs (to torture Miroku with of course), and even a new pair of sandals.

Kagome didn't bother getting anything for herself other than a new sweater she had found. She figured she had too many clothes as it was, and she knew her hanyou would most likely complain about her leaving to do her laundry all of the time.

"Yes," she said smiling. "I am going to do this."

"It's too bad we don't have one of those little cards as well," Sango sighed, pointing at Kagome's driver's license. "I wouldn't mind getting something in memory of Kohaku."

"Isn't that what your first born's name is going to be anyways?"

Sango stared at Ayame dully.

"Yeah, but I still want to do something in his memory other than that."

Kagome felt her smile wash away as she looked at her best friend's face. Since Sango had lost her brother, Miroku was the only thing that helped her through the pain. And now that she was far away from him, it must be weighing on her mind.

"Miss," a deep male voice said. "Have you decided on what you want done?"

Kagome's attention went to the voice who was talking to her. And her jaw nearly hit the ground as she recognized the man standing in front of her.

"H- Hojo?!"

The man looked at her, now also recognizing her. He looked so different now. His hair was about to his shoulders and dyed a dark blue. His lip was pierced and so was his eyebrows, and even from what it looked like, his tongue. His arms were covered in heavily detailed tattoo's of dragons and other various things, but no matter what, it was still the same Hojo she had gone to high school with so many years ago.

"Kagome?!" he said now jumping over the counter and hugging her. "Holy shit! I didn't even recognize you! How have you been?"

Kagome smiled as she hugged him back.

"I'm doing great," she said pulling away from him. "I'm actually getting married tomorrow."

"Really?" he said still smiling. "That's awesome, congratulations! I just recently got married myself."

Now she was back to being shocked.

"To who? I mean, I didn't even know you were with anyone. What's her name?"

Now his smile was even wider. Jumping back over the counter, he picked up a wallet from the top shelf and opened it up, handing it to her.

Kagome's eyes widened as she stared at the woman in the photo before her. She was absolutely beautiful.

Her hair was the color of blood, and went to her waist in long, full, curly locks. Her face was the color and complexion of a porcelain doll, and her body was slightly full and very curvy in all the right places. Her eyes, now those were truly stunning, they were the color of emeralds, and sparkled as she smiled at you shyly from her pose. She was wearing a pair of torn, black jeans, and a black tank top along with a dog collar. She also had a lot of tattoo's covering most of her arms and even one on the side of her neck, but it was too small a picture to make it out.

"Her name is Alyssa. She's originally from America, but she moved here when she was five with her father. I met her three years ago when I opened this place up."

"Wait a minute," She said handing the wallet back to him. "You _own_ this place?"

He laughed a little at this one.

"Yup," he said still laughing. "Bet you never saw that one coming huh?"

Kagome's eyes widened, but then she got an idea.

"Hey Hojo," she said now looking over at Sango. "My friend over here wants to get a tattoo as well, but she doesn't have an I.D. Anyway you could help her out? She's the same age as me."

Hojo looked over a Sango, who was no at full attention.

"Well, it's against company policy," he said thinking it over. "But what the hell, as long as it's not something too big, I'll do it."

Sango started jumping up in the air in happiness. And Kagome started laughing at her friend, knowing that Miroku was going to possibly kill her when they returned tomorrow.

"So, do you ladies _both_ know what you want?" he asked now smiling at them.

"Yes," Kagome said looking back at Sango. "I believe we both do."

_Two hours later…._

"But are you sure Hojo?" she said trying to hand him the money again. "I mean, I feel kinda bad not paying."

He smiled and shoved the money back into her hand.

"It's okay Kag's. Think of it as my wedding present to you and your friend. Besides, you were both the most interesting people I've tattooed in a long time. So we're even."

Kagome sighed and shoved the money back into her wallet, now forcing it to close. She really hated it that he was still such a sweet guy, but at least she had an extra three hundred bucks now. Giving Hojo a hug goodbye, she told him she'd call him sometime whenever she was back in town and that they should meet up. He liked that idea, and told her she would have to meet his wife. She agreed and told him he would have to meet Inuyasha, she just had a feeling they would get along.

"Okay, but next time I'm paying."

He laughed.

"You bet your ass you are. And remember to tell your friend to wash that tattoo gently in about another hour, then put the A&D ointment on. She seems a little forgetful."

Kagome laughed nervously. Sango was far from forgetful. She just had no clue about how things worked in this time.

"I will," she said nervously. "I'll see you around Hojo, take care, and thank you."

"You too Kag's and have a good night."

As Hojo walked back into the store, Kagome ran over to her girlfriends and smiled. Ayame seemed to be a little pale, along with Rin as they all piled into the car, but other than that they seemed fine.

"So," Kagome said turning the car on. "Are you happy now?"

Sango beamed as she looked back at her bandage on her right shoulder. It was still a little sore, but she felt very hyper and happy about this pain. At first, the little gun Hojo had been using on her had scared her, but after a while, she felt very relaxed and content. The design she had picked out was very detailed and beautiful, so it took a while longer than Kagome's had.

"Yes!" she said still smiling like a fool. "I love it!"

Kagome laughed as they came to a red light and stopped the car.

"Well good," she said as the car started moving again. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who scarred my body for life today."

They all laughed as they finally pulled up to the shrine, and as they got out Ayame and Rin both shook their heads at the two other women.

"You know Inuyasha's going to smell the ink right?" Ayame said as she pulled her bags out of the trunk. "He may only be a half demon, but I can even smell that stuff. It's very faint, but noticeably different from your scent."

Kagome shrugged.

"Oh well," she said making her way up the stairs. "He'll have to deal with it."

Rin shook her head at her.

"Sesshomaru would have most likely killed me had I done that."

They all laughed at her now, and she had the look of pure confusion written all over her face.

"Did I miss something?" she asked.

"Yup," they all said in unison.

As the girls made there way up the stairs, they all had one thought in there minds.

What are the guys doing tonight?

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Well, the boys were having their own fun now that the sun had gone down.

Inuyasha was in his human form, and drinking a bottle of Southern Comfort. Which he had reserved for himself earlier that day when he had shown the guys what he wanted to do that night. He was just starting to feel a little dizzy and funny, now that the bottle was mostly finished. Miroku had decided not to drink anything all too heavy, for fear of not remembering anything like the last time he had had alcohol from Kagome's time. And Koga and Sesshomaru had decided to take the hardest stuff they could find, knowing that because of there demon blood, they could handle anything.

They were all laughing and having a great time, knowing that if any of their women had been here to see this, they would have most likely killed them. Taking on another conversation altogether, Inuyasha blinked his eyes as he stared at the fire.

"Brother, are you okay?" Sesshomaru asked slightly concerned.

Inuyasha nodded his head. Even though it was quite a task for him at that very moment. He looked over at his brother, who was now drinking 151 Proof. He shuddered at even the thought of drinking that stuff, especially on his human night. The stuff he had right now was making him loopy enough, no need to push it.

Koga all of the sudden fell backwards, out cold. Sesshomaru smirked as he watched the younger youkai male in front of him.

"I knew he couldn't beat me," he muttered to himself as he went to take another drink, but it was sorely interrupted by someone screaming at them.

"Hey Assholes! Thanks a lot!"

"Shippo…," Inuyasha started, that is until he got a good look at his son, whom was now covered in calamine lotion. He busted out laughing as his human eyes also noticed the silver duck tape around his claws. Knowing Kaede would be the only person to help Shippo out like this to keep him from scratching himself.

Shippo fumed as he stared at his father and uncle. This was definitely not cool.

"Fuck my language, mom's gonna kill you when she finds out tomorrow!"

Inuyasha stopped laughing in an instant, and now glared at Shippo. But before he could say anything, Sesshomaru decided to shed some light on the whole situation.

"You'll be fine by tomorrow morning as long as you get some sleep," he said taking a bored sip from his bottle.

"Bull shit."

"No, you will be," he said again. "Poison ivy is nothing. I landed in it about four hundred years ago. It sucked, but by the next morning when I woke up it was gone. So stop complaining."

Shippo stood there in silence as his attention went to Miroku and Koga. He could smell the alcohol as clear as the rain, and he could tell how drunk his father was just by looking at him. Now he smiled, as the thought of screwing with at least one of there heads tonight would be decent payback for this.

"Don't even think about it, nephew," Sesshomaru said in a voice of warning. "Unlike everyone else, I'm still sober. Alcohol has no real effect on me."

"Then why are you drinking it?"

Sesshomaru shrugged.

"Tastes good I guess."

Shippo smacked himself in the forehead. But all too late he realized that he was covered in the calamine lotion, so his hand pealed away from his forehead, exposing the irritated flesh.

He growled as the itching sensation retuned and he went to scratch at it with his claws, only to find he couldn't. Now too pissed off to argue with anyone, he turned around and walked away from the group.

As Shippo left the clearing, Inuyasha put his bottle down and went after him, knowing this was mostly his fault. He staggered as he saw his son now sitting below the Sacred Tree, itching his back against it in a furry. Inuyasha now felt really bad. Sobering up as quickly as possible, he walked over to Shippo and sat down next to him crossing his legs as he went.

"Hey," he said with a slight slur to his speech.

"What do you want dad?" Shippo sighed as the itching began it's way up to his shoulders. "I think I've been punished enough for one day."

Inuyasha looked down into his human hands, feeling really bad.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Shippo stopped rubbing himself against the tree for only a moment. But started scratching again when Inuyasha began speaking again.

"I mean you're my son. I shouldn't treat you like that."

"Eh, it's okay. As long as Uncle Fluffy wasn't lying about it being gone tomorrow morning. I was being a smartass anyways. So I guess we're even huh?"

Inuyasha laughed at his son's interesting nickname for his uncle.

"You do know Sesshomaru absolutely _hates_ it when you call him that right?"

Shippo gave him a very toothy grin as he continued to scratch himself against the tree.

"Why do you think I call him that?" he said simply.

Inuyasha shook his head. If he hadn't been such a jerk when Shippo was still young, then maybe he would have a little more respect for his family. Considering the fact that they barely ever got along, he was always making some smartass remark to everyone other than Kagome and the other women, and he constantly drove Sesshomaru up the wall, then maybe things would have turned out differently for the kit.

Shippo noticed the far off look in his father's now amethyst eyes. It felt so strange whenever it was the new moon now. Since they no longer had to hide Inuyasha from Naraku, he was so much more relaxed when he was in this form. It almost seemed out of place, but then again, everything _had_ in fact changed.

Even though he was still irritated about what everyone had done to him earlier, he found himself smiling. Thinking about how now him, his mother, and Inuyasha could now be a real family. It had been very hard on him when he lost his real father, and even though he had Kagome as his mother for many years, he still didn't have a father. Until about four years ago when Inuyasha said he would be his father from now on, and in truth, it was the happiest day of his life.

He now thought of the future in a different way. He could now see everything working out the way it should have had his real father not been murdered so long ago. He saw his mother, Kagome, one day having some actual children of her own, giving him some brothers and sisters. And he saw his father, Inuyasha, most likely driving him crazy until the day he found a mate of his own to share his life with.

"Hey dad?" he asked now coming back to reality. "Do you think you and mom are going to have kids?"

Now Inuyasha smiled.

"Well, I want to. I know that. Why are you asking?"

"Because," he said now smiling as he ignored the next itch to his back. "I'd really like to have a little brother or sister. I think it would be interesting."

"And you most likely want to see me go crazy too? Or am I wrong about that?"

Shippo burst out laughing, and found himself not caring any longer about the itching sensation all over his back and face. This is why he loved his second father. He was overly blunt and honest at the wrong times. But it always managed to make him laugh. Inuyasha just stared at him like he had five heads, and shrugged.

"Well," he said stretching his back. "You should get to bed soon if you want to be fully healed by the wedding tomorrow. An I highly doubt your mother will be happy knowing what we did to you as a punishment today."

Shippo smirked at that. He knew Kagome would most likely kill Inuyasha right as the vows started to happen if she figured out what had happened to him. But he figured that his parents deserved a wedding with no distractions. And since that and the mating only happened once, he refused to be the one that ruined it for them.

As he stood up, Shippo held out his hand that wasn't covered in poison ivy to Inuyasha.

"Well dad, from the looks of things you're about to pass out. So we both might as well head back to the village. Uncle Seshsy will most likely bring the others back soon because they're too drunk to walk."

Inuyasha smiled as he took his son's outstretched hand in his, and pulled himself up to a standing position.

As they started to walk back to the village, Shippo put his arm around his waist and pulled his left arm over his shoulders. He was still pretty out of it due to the amount of alcohol he had drank, so he did appreciate the help.

He still found it quite amazing how things had changed over the past few months. And he truly couldn't get enough of it. He now had a real family. Kagome was his, and would be forever. His brother had started to finally feel real emotions, and everything else was just getting better as time went on.

And even though right now he was relying on his son's strength to help him to walk, he felt like the strongest man in the world.

He had a life. A real, hopeful, love filled life now.

And it was because of that, he truly felt blessed.

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Kagome slowly walked around her friends as quietly as she possibly could. Everyone had fallen asleep in the living room after they had watched about four movies and had eaten enough junk food to last an eternity. It was almost midnight now, and she was very tired from the days events.

As she tiptoed up the stairs to her room, she looked back at her companions fast asleep on the floor. Rin was wearing the PJ's she had bought for her earlier that day, and was snuggled up next to Buyo, which almost made her laugh. If Sesshomaru had known she was snuggled up next to a cat of all things, he most likely would have had a hissy fit about it. Sango was sprawled out on the couch, wearing one of Kagome's long black nightshirts. Her left arm was over her eyes, and her left leg was hanging off the couch as she snored loudly. Which only seemed to happen when she was here. And Ayame was curled up practically in a ball in the recliner. She was also wearing one of Kagome's nightshirts, but this one was a dark green with a wolf picture on the front. It was something she wished she had her camera for, but decided against waking her friends up for something so silly.

As she yawned again from her tiredness, Kagome found herself trying to drag her body up the rest of the stairs and into her room. But she knew before she went to sleep, she would have to check on her tattoo one more time.

Turning the light on in the bathroom, Kagome turned around and lifted the back of her shirt up, exposing her sore and slightly swollen flesh to the light.

And there it was. Inuyasha's name, right on the small of her back in Old English.

She smiled as she looked at the red letters outlined in black. Even though they were puffy and shiny due to the A&D ointment from earlier, it was absolutely beautiful to her. Hojo had at first been against her getting it done, but had changed his tune when she had noticed the name 'Alyssa' on his left hand. He really had done a great job on it, and even though he hadn't allowed her to pay for it, she still tipped him. He just hadn't known she snuck the $40 in his pocket.

As she looked at her tattoo, she decided it looked fine and would be okay for the night, and hopefully Inuyasha wouldn't be all too mad at her tomorrow when he found it. Walking out of the bathroom, she shut off the light's and went to her door and opened it.

At that moment, her bed never looked more inviting.

As she dragged her bare feet across the floor to the bed, she stripped down to her bra and underwear. It was really warm in her room due to the heat outside, and since Inuyasha was most likely asleep by now in his time, she had nothing to worry about.

Pulling back her sheets, she practically fell into the warm softness of her bed's many layers. It was so warm and comforting, but in truth, no wear near as comforting as her hanyou's arms. She really wished she was with him right now. Tonight was his human night, and ever since they had known each other, she had never missed one night of him as a human. Now she almost regretted being in her time.

As she yawned once more, her eyes grew heavy and she began to fall asleep. She still couldn't believe she was getting married tomorrow, and even as she thought about it, she still thought she was dreaming. But when she finally drifted off to sleep, she was smiling.

Because you can't be dreaming and only now falling asleep.

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**Wow, well there it is!**

**I hope everyone enjoyed it.**

**Well, now I _really _need to work on 'Show Me Love's next chapter.**

**I have a bad feeling a lot of people want to kill me.**

**(looks to the left and right)**

**(Very loud growls of anger coming from all directions)**

**Gulp!**

**Heh heh heh.**

**Does 'I'm sorry' work in this situation?**

**(Someone throws cottage cheese)**

**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!**

**Smack!**

**EWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**(Sighs)**

**Okay, until next time.**

**Toodles,**

**Me**

**: P**

**P.S.- More reviews!!!**


	5. Chapter 4: Preperations

**Hi everyone!**

**I hope everyone liked the last chappy!**

**And I'm super sorry this one took me so long!**

**I had writers block!**

**Do you forgive me?**

**(someone throws a grenade)**

**GULP!!!!!**

**Well, you don't have to get so violent!**

**(Someone throws another bucket of cottage cheese)**

**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Splat!**

**UGH!!!!!!!!!**

**Nasty!**

**Okay, here's the big day for you all.**

**I hope you enjoy it!**

**Me**

**: P**

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_Chapter 4: Preparations _

Inuyasha awoke the next morning mostly back to his normal form. Minus the massive headache he had. He felt as though his head was about to explode as he saw the sun's rays that were drifting into the hut.

"Ugh," he moaned shutting his eyes. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

"I believe Kagome calls that a 'hangover' little brother," Sesshomaru said simply.

Inuyasha cracked one of his eyes open as he half glared at his older brother, whom was sipping tea. Sesshomaru looked completely normal, like as though the events from last night's little drinking craze had no effect on him what so ever. But then again, Inuyasha had been human last night.

Last night.

Today was his wedding.

And he had a hangover.

Groaning again, he flipped onto his stomach. _' Today is really __**not **__my day,' _he thought to himself.

Sesshomaru watched his younger brother in amusement. He had only figured that maybe Inuyasha might be a little sick from everything he was drinking last night, but instead he had one of the worst headaches known to man.

"Be thankful you're in better shape than the wolf and monk," he said as he took another sip. "Unlike you and me, they were throwing up all last night. I believe they fell asleep maybe two hours ago."

Now at least he had a reason to laugh. Miroku he expected to get sick, but Koga? Now that was hilarious to him.

"You do realize that they'll be back in a few hours, right?" Sesshomaru said now putting down his empty tea cup. "And I have a bad feeling we're all going to be in trouble for this."

"Well," Inuyasha sighed. "At least Shippo's not gonna rat us out about what we did to him. We talked about it last night."

"Oh really?" he asked, sounding relieved. "Well that's good. I don't think having Rin angry at me tonight would have been a good thing at all."

"Same here," Inuyasha chuckled. "And by the way, never throw my son in poison ivy again."

Now Sesshomaru sighed, but he gave his brother a steady glare.

"Then he better not ever call me that name again."

"What?" Inuyasha asked looking smugly at him now. "Uncle Fluffy?"

Sesshomaru visibly cringed, making Inuyasha laugh at him. He had removed the long fluffy thing from his robes the moment Shippo had started calling him that, but unfortunately, his nephew thought it was still funny to use the nickname, even if it was just to piss him off.

"Don't call me that," he hissed. "Or else I'll make sure you die a virgin, little brother."

Inuyasha instantly shut his mouth, and glared at his brother.

"That was low, Ses."

Sesshomaru only smiled a cocky grin at him.

"It shut you up didn't it?"

Inuyasha growled, but thought better of getting into a fight with his brother today of all days. So as he stood up, cracking his neck and shoulders, he decided to go and bathe in the hot springs. Hoping that it would clear his head of the pain and help him relax about today.

As he walked out of the hut, Inuyasha found his thought's wandering again. Back to Kagome like always. He wondered if they would always be as happy as they were together now or would that all go away. He wished he could see into the future and know what was going to happen.

Shippo's demand was still running threw his head, and he smiled as he started to undress at the hot springs. Pups, how would Kagome feel about that?

Sure, he knew she could be an amazing mother just by the way she had raised Shippo, but would she want any for her own? They would be like him of course, so he really needed to find out… and soon.

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"Mom!? Are you ready yet? We need to go!" Kagome shouted from the well house.

She had already brought the others over, and now she was waiting for her mother to be ready and leave as well. It was about ten minutes to noon now, and she was getting restless.

Her excitement had turned into nervousness as she checked her watch once more. Today was the day. She was going to get married. And she'd be damned if she was late to her own wedding because her mother said she needed to give her something special.

"Come on Mom!" she shouted once more in the direction of the house.

Suddenly her mother ran out of the house as fast as her legs could carry her. And she was holding quite a few things that Kagome smacked her forehead amongst seeing.

A bridal dress bag.

A suitcase.

And a digital video camera.

"Mom," she said sighing. "Do you really need all of that?"

"Yes! I do!," she said handing her daughter the video camera. "Your dress is all set and ready to be worn, I have my own dress in the suitcase, and since your brother couldn't come, I'm going to video tape everything for him."

"But mom, we can't bring all of this over in one go," she said pointedly. "It won't fit down the well."

That's when an evil grin spread across her face, making Kagome shiver.

"Oh, yes it will," she said with a cold edge to her voice.

After a moment, Kagome rolled her eyes. If she dropped any of that on the way through the well, it was a good chance they would never see it again. So, grabbing the wedding dress from her mother, Kagome tucked it under her arm as tightly as she could.

"Okay, lets go," she said jumping to the top of the well.

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Inuyasha sank lower into the warm water, sighing in relief. His headache from hell was finally leaving, and he never thought he could be so grateful for something so simple.

But all too soon, his peace and quiet was disturbed by a monk and wolf youkai joining him, by falling into the water.

As the large splashes reached his face, he growled at the both of them. They were still plastered from the night before, and from what he could see by their skin tones, they looked a little pale and green. Miroku looked better than the wolf surprisingly, and Inuyasha finally laughed at the both of them, shaking his head.

"I told you not to drink with Sesshomaru," he said in a mocking tone to Koga. "That brother of mine can really drink."

"Tell me about it," he commented smugly. "I thought he was only joking last night. But he really knocked me on my ass with that stuff."

Inuyasha laughed again, but turned his attention towards Miroku. The monk was sighing as he dunked his head under the warm water. He didn't look worried in the least that today was his wedding. He actually looked content about something. So, Inuyasha just being curious, asked his best friend what he was thinking about.

"Hey, Miroku, what's on your mind?"

Miroku gave him a devilish smile, and that was all he needed. Miroku's mind was still one tracked. Even for a 27 year old man, he was an unbelievable pervert still. Inuyasha shook his head at him.

"Pervert," he chuckled under his breath.

Miroku glared at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Considering the fact that, sadly, we're **all** going to lose our virginities tonight, I can't help but think of it. Aren't you guys thinking about it as well?"

Now, this had crossed both demon men's minds a few times in the past few hours. But to actually think about it?

Nope.

"And why do we need to think about it Miroku?" Inuyasha said dully to him. "What's the big deal? I mean, from what I understand it's a part of the mating ritual, but what else is there?"

Now both Miroku and Koga were staring at him, wide eyed and their jaws hanging open. The hanyou looked back and fourth between them, trying to figure out what the big deal was.

"What?" he asked them, getting annoyed.

Miroku was the first to speak.

"Do you mean to tell me… us… that you've **never…,**" he said now looking to the wolf. "What's a good word for something like this?"

"Relieved," he said simply.

"That you've **never** relieved yourself? At all?!"

Now Inuyasha was confused. What the hell were they talking about?

"In what way? Fighting or are you talking about something else entirely?" he asked.

With that, both of his friends looked at each other, almost in horror. Then suddenly began to laugh at him. And Inuyasha, not liking to be the butt of a joke he had no idea about, growled at them both.

"What the hell is so funny?" he asked between clenched teeth.

But they both wouldn't say a word, and since they were both feeling a lot better now, they decided to run and leave the hanyou to his thought's.

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"Well mom, this is it! Welcome to the past," Kagome said cheerfully as her mother finally reached the top of the well and fell out.

When Sachi looked around, she was in complete awe. The wind was gentle against her face and the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. Looking a little to her left, she saw the Sacred Tree; so young and still so beautiful. It was decorated in paper streamers and unlit candles everywhere. It was most likely where the ceremony was going to take place, so she felt it met her standards as she looked onward. But out of the clear blue, she heard a male voice calling out to someone. And when she turned around, what she saw had her fall to the ground.

"Mom!" a young **man** said as he ran towards Kagome, giving her a nearly bone crushing hug as they fell over.

Kagome laughed as she noticed her mother's face, but hugged her teenage son back just the same. Even though he was a lot older now, he still had to run to her and give her a big hug anytime she returned. And she wouldn't change that for anything in the world.

"Hi Shippo," she laughed as he finally released her. "I want you to meet someone," she said now getting up and bring him over to her mother. "Shippo, this is your grandmother… and mom, this is my adopted son, Shippo."

Shippo looked at the older woman in front of him and smiled. So this was her. And he had to admit, he saw a lot of his mother in this woman's warm brown eyes. She looked a little confused at first, but smiled and stood up, giving him a light hug.

"It's great to finally meet you, Shippo," she said as she pulled away.

"Same here, grandma," he said smiling once again.

"Where's your father?" Kagome asked skeptically. "By now he must know I'm back."

Now Shippo knew he was in trouble. If he confessed what the other's had done the night before, they would kill him for sure. And since Inuyasha had apologized for the punishment he had received the night before, he didn't feel like ratting his dad out…. Yet.

"I think he's at the hot springs. He said he needed to relax," he said as calmly as possible. Not realizing how right he was in fact. "You know, because of everything that's going to happen today and all."

Feeling relieved when his mother bought his story, he started to walk back to the village with them, but his nose caught an interesting ink scent coming off of his mother, and without thinking, he opened his mouth.

"Why do you smell like ink Mom?"

Both of the women stopped dead in their tracks and looked at him. Kagome's eyes were wide and full of horror as she realized that she had forgotten to cover her tattoo that morning with ointment, and her mother glared at her.

"You went and got a tattoo yesterday, didn't you darling?"

Kagome sighed, knowing that she couldn't lie to either of them. So, when she turned around and lifted the back of her pink tank top, they both gasped.

"Oh my…" her mother whispered about to faint.

"Holy shit," was all Shippo managed to say for a moment before looking at her. "He's gonna kill you."

"Considering the fact that it's **his **name I don't think he will," she said turning back around, and now glaring at her son. "And watch your mouth young man."

Shippo grumbled something under his breath, but dropped the conversation as they made there way to the village. They needed to start getting ready. And time was of the essence.

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**I know it's kinda short. **

**But I decided to cut it off here and give you guys a super long Chapter 5.**

**So no complaining people!**

**: P**

**And I want more reviews!**

**More I say, MORE!!!**

**Lol, okay, tell me what you thought.**

**Toodles,**

**Me**

**: P**


	6. Chapter 5: The Ceremony

**Okay everyone!**

**I promised a wicked long ass chapter 5 for you, and here it is!**

**This one is 17 pages long.**

**So it makes up for the last chapter and then some.**

**Again, I'm wicked sorry the last chapter was so short, but I think you'll all forgive me when you read this one.**

**Or at least I HOPE you will.**

**Okay, it's time for the Wedding!**

**WARNING! **

**Have your tissue boxes full and ready!**

**Because I have a feeling some of you might get a little teary eyed and most likely ball at this wedding.**

**I hope you all enjoy it!**

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_Chapter 5: The Ceremony _

Kagome had been rushing around the makeshift tent she had brought over a few weeks ago, helping Sango get ready. Unfortunately, the Demon Slayer was a nervous wreck. She kept crying and tripping over her long white kimono's hem everytime she had her hair pulled back into the intricate bun Kagome's mother was doing for her.

Ayame and Rin watched on, wearing their own ceremony kimono's, and shaking their heads at the young woman.

"Sango, you need to calm down," Ayame said dully to her as she tripped once more, only this time over her Hiraikotsu.

The make up Sachi had put on the young woman's eyes was now running down her face in thin, black rivers. And her hands were shaking from her near panic attack. Kagome felt for her, knowing how Miroku _could _be. But this was ridiculous, Sango had nothing to worry about.

"Sango, why are you getting so worked up? I thought you wanted to marry Miroku?" she asked her friend as she cleaned her face off.

"I do…," she croaked. "It's just… there's no one here to walk me to the Sacred Tree… I have no one left from my family to do it…"

Now Kagome understood. Sango missed her brother… again. And the only one who could ever calm her down now was in fact, Miroku. But it was bad luck for them to see each other before the wedding. So, they needed something else right now to calm her down.

Looking to her mother, Kagome pleaded with her eyes for something, anything, to just get Sango to stop crying. This was not how everything was suppose to be. They were **all** suppose to be happy today. And only tears of happiness should be shed.

Kagome's mother wrapped her arms around Sango, giving her some comfort. She had learned of everything that had happened a while ago to the poor young woman. And she truly felt sorry for her. It was hard to have your wedding and have nobody from your own family there. It had happened to her husband, gods bless his resting soul, when they had married.

Looking the young woman she thought of as another daughter in the eyes, she smiled warmly to her.

"But he is here, sweetheart. I know of whom you are mourning for. And I believe your little brother is watching over you, along with everyone else from your family. And besides," she said as she gestured at everyone in the tent, including Kaede. "We are all your family as well. So, don't think you have nobody here with you on your special day."

Sango smiled past her tears and hugged the older woman a little closer to her, now crying softly. Everyone piled in to hug her as well, knowing how much she needed them right now.

When they all pulled away, Sango wiped her eyes once more and asked for the make up to be put back on. Kagome smiled, and gladly fixed it for her.

When Sango was completely ready, and smiling brightly, she touched her healing tattoo on her shoulder.

"I love you…Kohaku," she whispered to herself as she looked at all of the other women in the small cramped tent. "And I love all of you as well."

They all nodded and smiled back at her, knowing that all she had needed was a little push in the positive direction. But soon, they all turned on Kagome, and gave her a look.

"What?" she asked looking at all of them nervously.

"You're going to be late to your own wedding if you don't hurry it up Missy," her mother scolded her. "Now get changed!"

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Inuyasha fidgeted in his black kimono as he stood near the Sacred Tree with all of the other males of the group. They were all also wearing the ceremonious black robes, but they all seemed to be more comfortable than he was. Even Shippo seemed to be enjoying himself as he was dressed just like all of them. His hair had been straightened and hung loosely in a black leather band, and he was also holding both sets of rings.

Totosai had made them special for both couples. Miroku's ring was a simple gold band with a medium sized oval, Amethyst stone in the center. And his and Sango's name's on either side of the band. Sango's was pretty much the same, only hers was a pink stone called Rose Quarts, and her stone was cut into the shape of a heart. And Miroku had also asked Totosai to lightly engrave the names of every member of her family along the band… and have small diamonds next to each of their names.

Inuyasha's band was intricately designed in both silver and rose gold vines wrapping around each other, and his stone was a square cut Ruby. But Kagome's was the most beautiful, and the most detailed. Inuyasha had decided that he wasn't just going to give her a ring… he was going to give her a memory.

It had taken Totosai a lot longer than everyone else's rings, but it had been worth it. Kagome's wedding ring was engraved delicately with the first time they had met. Her on one side in her school uniform…and him, still trapped under the spell on the Sacred Tree on the other. They were both made out of rose gold, and the rest of the band was made out of pure silver, with a thin outline of regular gold. And the stone he had chosen for her… was a large, white diamond in the shape of a fat oval. The best part was, on the inside of the ring was their names. And he couldn't wait to give it to her.

Since Kagome had wanted to be surprised, like Sango, both he and Miroku had asked for the designs. So, being the thoughtful gentlemen they were, asked for these rings to be as special as possible.

Totosai, the poor old man. Had done more than that and then more. It had taken him weeks to finish these rings. And he had almost worked himself to death over finishing them in time. If these ladies weren't happy… well, he would just cry.

Looking to Miroku, he rolled his eyes as he twitched again.

"This thing is itchy," he complained.

Miroku laughed at him, but pulled on the collar of his kimono just the same.

"Look on the bright side Inuyasha. Once the ceremony is over, we can all change back. It should only take an hour."

"That's if these women ever hurry up," he snorted. "What's taking them so long anyways?"

"Little brother," Sesshomaru sighed. "Haven't you learned anything about women?"

"Yeah dad," Shippo said laughing. "In case you've forgotten, mom took two hours to get ready for the festival we had last year. I still remember how many times she sat you for your impatience."

Now everyone was laughing at him. Growling, he smacked his son upside the head, signaling him to shut up. Shippo gave him a dirty look, but heeded his warning. This was Inuyasha's day as well as his mother's, so pissing him off right now wasn't the best idea.

Sesshomaru smiled as he looked at everyone around him. He still couldn't believe his new family consisted of four humans, three youkai's, and his hanyou brother. And he never thought he would be present to witness the day his brother married. But somehow, he was grateful, and he found his mind wandering to a time before they had defeated Naraku. A time when Jaken was still among the living…

_Flashback…_

_The memory was as clear as day still to him. He was sitting on a large boulder in the Forest of Inuyasha, thinking over everything that had recently happened. Inuyasha had saved Rin, who was sixteen at the time, from a spider youkai. He was now healing from the wounds he had received the night before. And his human woman, Kagome, was tending to his wounds, and yelling at him to stay in bed._

_He still couldn't believe what his brother had done what he could not. And even though Rin was perfectly fine now, his mind was still trying to process his feelings._

_He didn't understand why his brother had saved her. Other than the fact that she was a human in need of saving, why else would he help him, his horrible, evil, cold hearted older brother?_

_"My lord?" an old, fragile voice called to him from the base of the large rock. "May I come up?"_

_When Sesshomaru looked down, he saw his servant, Jaken. In all of the years the little toad demon had followed him around, he really had aged. He now had a small white beard forming at the base of his chin. And his hands were now starting to get boney and he had warts everywhere, due to age. He'd noticed this happening almost four years ago, and he had a funny feeling it had a lot to do with Rin becoming a woman. The little toad had somehow matured, and had pretty much become the little human girl's surrogate parent._

_Not feeling the need to be an asshole at the moment, he nodded his head at the little green man. Slowly, Jaken made his way up the boulder, using his staff as a cane. When he finally reached the top, he sighed in relief and sat down next to his master._

_"You seemed… troubled, my lord," he said very calmly to him. "Is there something that is on your mind?"_

_Normally, Sesshomaru would hit the little toad for his conduct. But since he was so old and frail, and not wanting to hurt or possible kill him, he decided that maybe just this once, he could open up to him._

_"Why did Inuyasha do that? I don't understand how my brother could risk his life like that last night of all night's to save a human girl. Why is he so reckless?" he said almost in a fury. "We're sworn enemies, and we hate each other. Why would he do something to help me, even if it nearly meant his own life?"_

_As he continued his rant, Jaken smiled lightly. His master was so young still, and he didn't understand that very, very, **very** deep down, he did care for Inuyasha. He was blood after all. And nothing can change that. Jaken had also noticed the way his master was slowly falling for Rin. She was an amazing young beauty, and a daughter to him now practically. She had won over both of their hearts over the many years she had been around. Only in different ways, and she had truly saved them both. _

_Without Rin around, they would both most likely still be very bitter and cold towards every human they had ever known. And Inuyasha must have known somehow, that hiding when everyone else was fighting that night, that his brother needed this young woman in his life. Even if it meant his own._

_When Sesshomaru had seen the large spider youkai going directly for Rin, he'd panicked. Being trapped by another set of demon spiders, he couldn't reach her in time. But then his brother of all people, in his human form, jumped out in front of Rin as it was about to strike. And the poisonous fangs of the spider had sunk deep into his chest, paralyzing him instantly. _

_When the rest of Inuyasha's pack had finally been able to kill off the demons, Sesshomaru had run over to Inuyasha. And what he had felt right then and there, still haunted him._

_Fear. Total, and absolute fear that his brother would die. And for saving Rin no less._

_When he had finally seen Rin, a little banged up, he was relieved beyond belief. She was crying and now hugging him around his waist, shaking from being so scared. But his brother, had been in much worse shape._

_His color was pale, and his breathing was labored. Kagome kept screaming at him, calling him names and crying. When Myoga had finally shown up, he'd sucked as much of the poison out as possible, and they had all started heading back to the village. Rin wanted to make sure her savoir made it through the night, and even though he wouldn't admit it, Sesshomaru did as well._

_Luckily, Inuyasha had made it, but he was still very weak from having his chest ripped open. And Kagome forced him to stay in bed, telling him he could have all the Ramen he wanted…as long as he stayed in bed._

_So now here he was, sitting on a rock deep in the forest, talking to the old toad who had followed him around for centuries. And he felt as though having something like this bother him was a bad thing. So, turning to him, after he had finished, he looked to the older demon… for some form of help._

_"Well?" he asked impatiently._

_Jaken sat there for a while, maybe thinking of how to word this. Knowing his master, he might not be happy with the knowledge that he did in fact care for his brother's well being. But it was worth a shot none the less._

_"My lord," he said sighing as he looked back out at the tops of the trees. "This may be hard for you to hear, but I think the reason you feel this fear is because you do in fact care for your brother… Inuyasha risked his life last night to protect Rin. And I believe the reason he did that is because he knew you care for her. And though you may not admit it," he said now looking back at him. "You do. So why don't you just make a truce with your brother? I think it's time you both started getting along anyways."_

_Sesshomaru's eyes widened at his servant's bluntness. Did he really care for his brother?_

_Yes._

_Was he grateful that Inuyasha had saved Rin last night?_

_Yes._

_Did he really have feelings for Rin?_

_… Well, some thing's come with time don't they? He did care about her. But he still didn't know in which way._

_But Jaken was right, it was time to start getting along. Inuyasha was all he had left, and it took nearly losing him last night for hi to see he did in fact care about him. Half breed or not, Inuyasha **was** his family. _

_Getting up, he looked at the toad, and gave him a very small smile._

_"Thank you, Jaken," he said. "Now, do you need help getting down?"_

_Jaken shook his head and gave him the simple smile he had given him for years now._

_"I may be old, but I'm not completely helpless yet, master," he said as he used his staff to help him stand up._

_Sesshomaru shook his head at the older demon. No matter what, he always refused help from him, even when he was actually being nice. But he figured, by now, maybe it was time to accept his emotions and learn the meanings of them for himself. And being nice wasn't all that bad, as long as nobody did anything to spoil his mood._

_"Okay old man, lets start heading back then," he said as he jumped down._

_As Jaken watched his master start to run back to the village, he smiled once more. That is until he looked down. He was really high up, a lot higher than he thought. Sighing, he slowly made his way down the rock. But all too soon, he tripped on a piece of moss, and fell into a blackberry bush. _

_When he finally managed to get himself out, he grumbled as he looked himself over. His green skin was now stained purple, and his robes were even worse._

_"Why me?" he sighed, now following after his master._

_End Flashback…_

Sesshomaru really missed the little toad now. And wished he could have been here to see Rin and him together. Knowing him, he would be fighting with Shippo right now about his comedy act that he was putting on for all of them. The kit was now sending little blue sparks of foxfire to his father's toes and ears, making him even more twitchy than he already was. The two had never really gotten along in the first place, but it still would have been funny to see.

He had gone to Jaken's grave earlier that morning when everyone was still asleep, and had finally paid his respects. He had talked to his burial site for nearly an hour, asking Jaken if this is what he had meant by his feeling's for Rin. But he knew the answer already. Jaken **had **known. And that's why he had also told him to make the truce.

So he could be happy with his family. And he must have known he wouldn't survive that last battle with Naraku, so he most likely didn't want neither him nor Rin left alone.

The little toad really did have a heart. And no matter how much of a pain in the ass he was, Sesshomaru would miss him greatly.

Finally turning his attention back to the others, he grabbed his nephew's hand as he was about to cause another spark to land on Inuyasha's ears.

"Behave," me mouthed to him warningly.

Shippo pouted, but listened after sending one more spark at his father's ears. Making him growl and itch them. Sesshomaru shook his head at is nephew, and felt a little bit of pity for his younger brother. Because if he and Kagome ever had kids, Shippo would most likely be there to mess them up.

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"Kagome! Are you ready yet?" her mother shouted threw the cloth barrier where her daughter was changing on the other side. "It's almost sunset dear!"

"Mom," she said dully, finally getting the last clasp on her corset top to go in place. "You have no idea how hard this dress is to get into. And the sleeves keep getting in the way."

When she finally removed the cloth, everyone gasped, even Kaede.

Her long, silvery white skirt ended at about her knees, and trailed along behind her as it delicately descended to the ground. The sleeves which she had been complaining about where made out of a silvery white see-through mesh fabric and the sleeves hung off her shoulders, splitting in the front so she could move around, and fell to the ground in long, thick waves of fabric as well. Her corset, which was most likely going to give Inuyasha heart attack, was made out of pure white silk, and sported a strand of pearls going down the back and front along the silver ribbon cross stitching. The ribbons were mostly see-through and thick as they fell just a little below the waistline.

She was gorgeous.

Her mother started to cry as she looked at her daughter. At first, she had thought her choice for a wedding dress was a little off. But seeing her in the gown now, she realized how right of a choice she had made. Minus the large curlers still in her hair, she looked like a fairy princess.

"Oh Kagome…" she cried. "You look beautiful, darling."

"Yeah you do!" Ayame said finally shutting her mouth, then sniffing the air. "And you're good to go on the tattoo…. I can't smell it what so ever."

Kagome sighed in relief. That had been her one major worry. Inuyasha smelling the ink and most likely tearing her dress apart to find out where the scent was coming from.

She would have most likely sat him to the point where they'd have to wait a month to 'mate'.

Sitting down on the stool she had also brought over, her mother started taking the curlers out of her now very long black hair. Since she had started her battles, she had decided to grow her hair out long, and now it trailed all the way down her back in long, thick locks.

As her mother released her hair from the curlers, they fell in elegant, thick curls starting from the top of her head and landing against the small of her back. Looking in the full length mirror Inuyasha had brought over for her years ago, she smiled at her reflection.

Her make up was a lot lighter than Sango's had been, having only a thin line of grey eyeliner, black mascara, and silver shimmer eye shadow, along with a light amount of blush and pale pink lip gloss, she looked like a mythical goddess of some sort. Her mother gently took out a powder puff from her bag of make up and lightly dusted Kagome's exposed chest and neck with silver glitter; it held the scent of Lavender. And from what she had learned about her husband to be, it was his favorite scent. So she was thrilled to death when her mother had found it that morning.

After her mother was done there, she lightly sprayed her daughter's hair with aqua net, making Ayame cough and nearly choke. But luckily, Kagome had brought her perfume with her, and sprayed her hair with it to cover up the nasty smell of the hairspray.

"Oh," her mother said now looking at the female wolf demon. "I'm so sorry dear, I forgot you have a nose like Inuyasha."

Ayame coughed a few more times, but gave Sachi the thumbs up, telling her she was alright. At least she was grateful Kagome had thought quickly and used her Lavender and Sakura Blossoms perfume. Somehow, that shit covered every nasty smell up. And it didn't bother the wolf at all. She really liked it in fact. So, after she could breath again, she went threw the bag and found a Sage and Lily perfume Kagome had given her the night before, and lightly sprayed herself with it.

"Is mine in there?" Rin asked looking at Ayame.

Nodding, Ayame handed her and Sango their perfumes as well.

Rin's scent was sweet and was called "Honeysuckle Melon". It was stronger than the rest, but it didn't bother the female youkai at all. And Sango's was called "Hibiscus and Roses". Strangely, it didn't really fit her personality, but it matched her natural scent dead on.

As Kagome's mother finished putting the finishing touches on her daughter's hair by adding small, green unopened buds of flowers, she sighed. Her mother had told her that they would open when she least expected them to, and not to worry. But she couldn't help but do that.

And finally an ancient family heirloom necklace. It had been her great, great, great grandmother's, and the stone in the center that was cut into an oval was called a moon opal. And since there would be a crescent moon tonight, it would glow and supposedly change colors. The chain it rested on was short, and the stone rested right between her collar bones. It looked beautiful, but she still wasn't all too pleased with the unopened flower buds in her hair.

Just as she looked at them as the sun finally set, they started to open, and her eyes widened.

Night Blooming Baby Roses.

No way.

"Uh mom?!" she asked as the fully opened and glowed lightly. "Where did you get these from?"

Her mother only smiled at her, not wanting to let her little secret out at that very moment. As she handed Kagome her bouquet, she gave her a shocked look. The flowers in her bouquet were normal, large night blooming roses. And in the center was a white, night blooming Cirrus Flower. And as she looked at her friends, she noticed the same flowers everywhere on them as well.

Ayame had two large one's tucked behind her ears, hiding their points. Rin had a halo of them around her head, and Sango had a bouquet and three large ones in her hair.

Everyone smiled at her, not wanting to give the secret away either. But Kagome was too thrilled right then and there to care. This had been her dream wedding flower to have when she was a little girl. And it was almost too rare to find anywhere in Japan. So her mother must have either grown these in their woods back in the future, or she had asked Kaede where to find them.

"Oh mom…" Kagome choked, almost to the point of crying. Suddenly she pulled her mother into a tight, fierce hug. "Thank you…" she whispered.

Her mother smiled, grateful that she had managed to give her daughter the one thing she really had wanted at her wedding. But they had to go. She wanted to be able to film everything she possibly could before all of the sunlight was gone. Luckily, these roses glowed gently in the dark, and with the amount of candles they had near the Sacred Tree, she wouldn't need to use the night vision.

"Sweetie," she cooed in her ear. "We need to go."

Kagome pulled back and blinked her eyes furiously, trying to keep her tears from flowing and ruining her make up. When she had succeeded, she smiled at everyone around her. And with a silent agreement, they all left the tent, together.

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As Kaede rushed as fast as she could ahead of them, she found all of the men, still standing where she had left them. Only Shippo was sitting down, scratching his chin and holding the pillow with both sets of rings on them in his other hand. Right then, she didn't care about being the mild mannered priestess they all knew. So, she said what she needed to say as she got in her place at the base of the tree, between Inuyasha and Miroku.

"Get ye's ass up. Now! They are coming," she snapped at the kitsune.

Everyone's eyes widened. But it managed to make Shippo stand up quickly and get to his place right next to the other male youkai's on the sidelines.

Inuyasha wanted to cheat and look in the direction they were coming. He hadn't seen his Kagome since yesterday. But he forced his head to stay in direction it was facing. Miroku was looking him dead in the eyes, just as he was. Until the music started, which was in a CD player Kagome had brought over the week before, they were not allowed to look down in the direction of the Cherry Blossom Trail they had made.

It was just as painful for Miroku from what he could tell in the now former monks eyes. After tonight, he might lose his spiritual powers, and for him, it would be more than worth it. But the suspense was killing them.

That's when the light, soft music started.

It wasn't the classical 'Here Come's the Bride' either. Kagome had found a soft, lovely instrumental Irish melody with flute and piano sounds for the ceremony. It was slow, and quite fitting in all of their minds.

Inuyasha slowly turned his head. And he quickly grabbed his chest and gasped when he saw her.

_'Oh…My…God.'_

And there she was. Walking towards him with the elegance of a queen. She had small whitish blue glowing flowers in her hair, and a bouquet of them in her hand. She looked like a goddess as she came closer to him. Her dress was stunning also.

It was a long skirt with lots of layers that cut off in the front right at about her knees, and it trailed quite a bit behind her in a long train. It was made out of fine, white silk, and as his eyes ventured upwards, he had to force himself to breath as he looked more closely at her top.

It was a silk corset encrusted with Pearls. It hugged her shapely form tightly, and caused her perfect, white breasts to slightly spill from the top. And her skin was sparkling in the moon's light along with the fading sun's. And as he looked closely at her sleeves which were hanging off her shoulders and exposing that skin to him as well, from what he could tell, the sleeves she wore were attached to the corset from underneath her arms. And they fell to the ground, but blew gently in the light breeze that had started only a little while ago.

She was beyond breathtaking as she finally reached his side. And as he took her hand in his, he found himself almost to the point of tears. She was so beautiful. And her scent was enhanced to something even more than normal. How could he have ever been this lucky?

Kagome stared at her hanyou in complete awe. He was so handsome in his ceremonial robes. And the way the candles lights reflected off of his eyes, they made them virtually glow. She could almost feel his hunger and complete adoration for her burning through his amber eyes of fire. And as she took his hand in hers, she squeezed it lightly. Letting herself and him know, that this wasn't a dream.

Since Sango had walked within his sight's range, he was in total awe of the woman he was devoting his life to. Her ceremonial white kimono was made of silk, just like Kagome's gown was. But he wasn't looking at Kagome, he was looking at her. She had White and Pink roses sewn into her kimono's bottom hem, giving it a classical look. Her eye's were an amazing shade of deep fuchsia, and right under her eyebrows was a light lavender powder, giving her eyes a wild temptress look.

She looked like a wild, Amazonian goddess as she had walked to him smiling. And it had been a long time since he'd seen her look this alive. He smiled back at her, admiring her strength and beauty. And as he took her hand as she faced him, he felt truly alive as well.

Koga's jaw nearly hit the dirt as he saw his female approaching him. And he wondered as he took in her unique scent which was heightened and sweetened lightly… why the **hell** did it take him so long to see how much he loved her?

She was no where near as dressed up as Kagome and Sango, but what she was wearing had him practically drooling where he stood. It was a long dark green kimono with lilies sewn into the fabric around the collar and bottom hem. And in her now straightened red hair, which trailed down her back, had two of those glowing bluish white roses in it. And her eyes… those amazing green eyes he loved so much. They had some light pale green make up on them, enhancing the color, and making them sparkle in the light. And her lips held a light shiny lip gloss to them.

If he could have taken her in that moment to be his mate, then he would have.

And last but not least, Sesshomaru saw his Rin. His eyes widened as he tried to catch his breath. She was positively radiant as she stood before him. Her hair, since it was so long now, hung in loose elegant curls falling down her back in a river of ebony. The kimono she was wearing had him smiling. It was a red and orange kimono, with little clouds along the hem and waist. Her eyes were sparkling with a light, white powder, and her eyelashes seemed a lot longer and thicker than they normally were, but beautiful none the less. And her lips were their natural color, only shinier, plump, and wet, much to his liking.

He never thought she could get anymore beautiful, but somehow, she had managed it for this one night. And he would remember the way she looked that night, for all of eternity if he could.

As Mrs. Higurashi caught up with everyone else, the ceremony began. And she had her video camera on and ready to go. And as Kaede started to speak, everyone looked to her.

"I would like to do this ceremony a little differently if ye don't mind," she said smiling at all of them.

They all smiled and nodded at her, then turned to look at their soon to be spouses.

"This is a time for change in ye's lives. A moment when everything will come together. But more importantly, a time for ye all to be thankful and happy," she said as she looked at all of them. "Never, in all of my years of being a priestess, have I seen such love bloom between such pairings."

She looked to Sango and Miroku.

"Even though most of ye's ceremonies have been for humans… they have never been for a pair such as yourselves. Ye have suffered many great tragedies, and still have managed to have a love so strong to save yourselves from the loneliness and bitterness you have felt in the past."

She turned to look at the wolf demons.

"Two demons that finally found love. And the fact that it won't be tragic and end in a battle to the death, makes ye happy to know end. It may have taken ye both a long time to figure each other out. But I know ye's future is bright and full of love and gentleness."

She looked to Sesshomaru and Rin.

"I know how hard of a battle you both have suffered in silence until now. A demon, not wanting to be like his father, and a human, not knowing her place in his heart. I have seen this before, and most of the time, it usually ends in some form of heartache and sorrow. But as ye can clearly see, ye were made for each other. Your love and devotion to comfort each other in times of need over the years, has only made ye's love stronger. And the reason why ye have survived this long. For a great demon such as yeself, Sesshomaru, I must say. That I am very proud of ye. And Rin, I am also proud of. For having so much faith in the one ye loves so much."

And last, but certainly not least, she looked to Inuyasha and Kagome. Smiling widely.

"For ye two, it has truly been a battle for many years. As I watched ye two grow, ye also grew to love each other. And now that love is finally being acknowledged, and proof that ye were meant for each other, body, mind, and soul. Inuyasha, I watched ye struggle with the need to be loved by at least someone for many years, and the fact of the matter is, no one can love ye as greatly as this young woman before you. No one can hold ye and tell ye your fine the way ye are, like she can. And no one can give ye the amount of devotion she has held to ye for so many years. She is your life, and ye's true soul. Without her, ye would never have found the will to live again."

"And Kagome, when I first met ye, ye were a strong willed young woman. Nothing has changed in that regard. But I have noticed the change in ye over the years. Ye became even more loving and gentle hearted towards everyone around ye. And ye managed to change this hanyou standing before ye for the better. He is now more loving, and caring, thanks to ye and ye alone. And without him, I know how lonely and sad ye would be. Because a soul cannot find true happiness, without it's mate."

Kaede took a deep breath, knowing now this was going to be the interesting part of the ceremony. She felt as though her heart was going to beat itself to death in her chest. She had waited for this moment for years. And slowly, unlike Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Inuyasha and Kagome, the others had also become a part of their strange little family. And she was truly grateful to see them all, finally happy and together.

"To the two men, take up ye rings for your brides and say the vows ye have alone written for them," she said warmly.

As Inuyasha and Miroku took the rings from the pillow Shippo had been holding up for them, the girls smiled at their nervousness. Kaede turned first to Miroku, and spoke very softly to him. And he repeated everything he had wanted to say to her perfectly.

"Sango, you have been my pillar in the hardest of times, giving me your strength when I needed it the most. I have never felt this way. And to be loved by you is the greatest treasure of all. I was always doing things to try and gain your affections. But in truth, I knew you loved me all along. So now, I take you as my wife. Shall one of us get sick, we will care for one another. Shall we have children, I promise they won't inherit my little issue, but more importantly, shall one of us ever need anything, we will be there for each other… I love you, my dearest Sango. And this is my pledge to you, and only you."

As Miroku slid her ring on her finger, he held her hand up to the light, wanting her to see his gift right away. Her eyes widened as she saw the pink stone sitting in the center, but then she looked at the rest of the ring, and she nearly cried. There, and with a small diamond next to each of them, was the name of one of her family members.

She looked at Miroku and smiled as a tear escaped one of her eyes.

"Thank you," she mouthed to him still smiling at him.

Miroku smiled back, and looked back at the pillow, there was still one more part left, and she needed to fulfill it before she could jump at him and smother him in kisses. Taking his ring up, she looked it over carefully, the instant she had seen the stone, she alone knew it was his. One of Miroku's favorite colors had always been purple, and upon seeing the purple oval stone, she picked it up. His ring was very simple and pretty, but then she looked closely, and found their names engraved on either side. Forcing her tears of unspeakable happiness away, she held his hand and looked him dead in the eyes. And nearly got lost in those amazing violet pools before her.

"Miroku, I will admit honestly, that when I first met you, you drove me crazy. But now I know it was because you cared. Had you not done anything, then I wouldn't have laughed as much as I did over these years. You made me smile, when I wanted to cry, and you made me strong, when I felt beyond weak. You taught me that love can be complicated, funny, and most importantly, true. I never would have been able to pick myself up and be so strong, had you not been there to guide and protect me in your own ways… what I am trying to say is, I love you, Miroku. And I will always be there to 'keep you in line'. And I will always be there to love and cherish you. And now, I take you as my husband, for now and always."

As she slid the ring on his finger, she noticed he had tears in his eyes, and no matter how much he wanted to hide them, they still collected in his eyes. When he blinked suddenly, the two large puddles drifted down his cheeks in a rush. And he didn't bother wiping them away. Even though he must have looked like a complete and utter crybaby in front of everyone, all that mattered was his Sango. And she was just smiling at him.

"Inuyasha, it is ye's turn now," Kaede said smiling.

As he took a deep breath, Inuyasha looked into Kagome's eyes as he picked up the ring.

"Okay," he said sighing and sounding nervous. "I don't really know where to begin. But maybe I can start with this," he said now smiling at her. "Kagome, I know for a fact, that you are my one and only true soul mate. I can feel you in my dreams, and your scent has always relaxed me. I don't know where I'd be if it wasn't for you always prying your way into my heart. And in truth, I'm very glad you did. For my entire life, and as long as I can remember, no one has ever accepted me as I am today. Being born of both bloods, human and demon. I am normally thought of as a mistake. And for a long time, I felt I was one."

"That is, until you came into my life. I lost the desire to be like everyone else, and just be me in the end. And without you, those thought's never would have crossed my mind… You alone trusted me when no one else would, and you have saved me from darkness and loneliness countless times. And the fact that even the thought of living a single day without you tears apart my very soul, I know we were meant to be together. It just took me a little longer to figure it out is all… What I alone am trying to say, is that I love you Kagome Higurashi, with all of my heart and soul.And I would rather sleep under another curse once more, for longer than a thousand years if need be, then ever see you hurt, or sad again in this lifetime. So, I take you as my wife in the human customs, and my life mate, in the demonic ones. I love you, for now, until eternity ends."

As Inuyasha slid the ring onto her finger, Kagome's own tears decided to break though and pour down her face. And the scent of her tears of rain quickly made Inuyasha look at her, concerned. But the confusion melted away in him as he saw her smile.

Those were tears alright, but they weren't sad in the least.

Those were tears of joy.

Kagome had to take a moment to recover from her little crying fest. But she couldn't help it. Inuyasha had never been that open with her, or at least not in front of so many people. Thanking her mother silently for bringing that video camera, she looked to the pillow which held a solitary ring on it. And as she looked closely at it, she realized what she wanted to say.

Looking back into his eyes, she smiled at him.

"I remember when I first met you, and how afraid you were to trust. You wouldn't even look me in the eyes unless it was absolutely necessary. Then, slowly over time, you began to trust me. And as we can see now, love me. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I nearly lost hope, but my hope that someday, you would see me as more than a friend, had always managed to cling on."

"I have always loved you. As a human, a demon beast, and your natural hanyou form. I know it sounds crazy, but I have always loved every part of you. Whenever you were in your full demon form, you could always hear my voice and then you would come back to me, and you trusted me with your secret of the night's you became human long ago. I didn't know why at first, but then, after thinking about it, I realized it was because of our connection and love we were too stubborn to admit at the time."

"I still remember how much you hurt, everytime someone called you a worthless half breed, and how much courage you had. I think you proved more people wrong than anyone else I have ever known. And I can't even say how proud of you I am for that."

Now, Kagome's tears were flowing once more. But she held on as best she could, just so she could finish.

"You have always been my great protector, my best friend, and now, the one person I have always wanted to spend my life with. And if I had to wait another five hundred years in the future for you, I would bend the laws of time, just to wait, and find you once more. A day without seeing your amber golden eyes, is like a day without the sun for me. A day without your smile, is a day where I cannot live peacefully. And a day without hearing your voice, is the day I am truly alone. So, I take you, Inuyasha, as my husband and life mate. I will always love and cherish you, and keep you safe in my heart and soul. But, I wanted to tell you one more thing, and it's the most important. You will never be alone again, as long as I live. I love you, for now, and always. Time can never separate us. Just like time can never separate true love. Because when it's there, no one can take it away."

As Kagome picked the solitary ring up, she placed it gently on his ring finger. And as she went to move her and away, Inuyasha gently grabbed it. When she looked into his eyes, she was almost shocked, he was crying. Just like her.

"I love you," he mouthed to her as a tear ran down his cheek.

Kagome smiled at him, and mouthed the words back. But then, he said something else.

"Look at your ring," he mouthed once more.

Confused, she did as he asked, and found herself gasping.

It was them. On the band of either side of the ring. And it was of the first time she had seen him, still sleeping under the spell from Kikyo's arrow. And her, looking at him. The way she had when she had first seen him that day, in her school uniform no less.

Now she didn't care about ruining her make up, and as her tears rushed down her face, she smiled at him. This was the one thing she never would have expected from her hanyou. And she still couldn't believe her first memory of him was resting there, on her ring finger. She wished so badly that she could run into his arms and smother him in kisses for this. He'd really outdone himself. And she couldn't even begin to thank the gods of the universe for giving her such a man. He truly was perfect in everyway.

And now she understood why he had been asking her what her favorite memory was a few weeks ago. And she was thankful she had given him a very detailed description of it.

_Flashback…_

_It truly had been a splendid week. Her and Inuyasha had told each other their true feelings, and were now sitting under the Sacred Tree, wrapped in each others arms. They had mostly been quiet, just enjoying each others presence, but then, Inuyasha had asked her something completely out of the blue._

_"Tell me, what's your favorite memory of us Kagome?" he'd asked as he gently ran his claws threw her hair. _

_She looked up at him, almost confused by the question, but answered him none the less._

_"My favorite memory… hmm… that would have to be when we first met. When I found you still under the spell, and sleeping on this very tree."_

_He laughed._

_"You mean the day I almost killed you because I thought you were Kikyo? Why that memory?"_

_"Because, even though you were under a spell, you looked so peaceful there. And in truth, you made my heart skip a few beats for the first time ever in my life when I saw you. I was lost, and trying to find a way back home at the time, and when I stumbled out of the bushes and saw you, my mind completely cleared. And since you seemed like you had been there for a while, because of all of the vines you had growing over your body, I felt some strange form of compassion towards you right then and there… it was the first time we had met, and even though after you had woken up you were a little crazy, I still remember the way you looked that day when I first saw you. Sleeping peacefully to the tree, and I just stood there looking at you."_

_Inuyasha looked away for a moment, as if contemplating something, then smiled._

_"My favorite memory is when you first introduced me to Ramen," he said laughing. "I think I got sick from eating it too quickly, and you kept yelling at me like I was a child ."_

_Kagome rolled her eyes, knowing that at least one of his favorites had to do with Ramen. _

_"I should have known it would be **that** memory," she mumbled. _

_Inuyasha almost stopped laughing that instant. And gave her a look._

_"Is that a bad thing?" he asked._

_Kagome laughed as she adjusted herself to sitting in his lap, and faced him. As she straddled his hips, he growled at her softly._

_"No, it's just I was yelling at you for no reason. You were always thick headed from what I remember," she said giving him a coy smile_

_Inuyasha smiled at her and gently tickled her sides. When she tried to push his hands away, he snaked his arms around her waist and held her tight as he continued his gentle tickles to her flesh. When she was laughing so hard her eyes began to water, Inuyasha gave her a devilish look as he cut open her shirt from the front, exposing her white bra and stomach to him. Kagome's eyes widened and she blushed as she looked down at her now nearly naked form, but she gave him a playful glare._

_"That wasn't fair," she whispered as her hands slowly made there way to his ears. And when she began to rub them, he purred softly._

_"Like **that** is?" he moaned._

_As Kagome began to bend down to kiss him, they both stopped upon hearing someone scream. When they had both looked in the direction the sound was coming from, there stood Shippo, covering his eyes._

_"Dear gods! Can't you two stop that?!" he yelled at them. "I don't need to see my parents in **that** position for crying out loud!"_

_Inuyasha for once ignored the kit, and rolling his eyes, he captured Kagome's lips in his. She laughed against his lips, knowing full well they would never hear the end of it from Shippo. But she didn't care… this was all she needed. And his love was the only thing she would ever truly cherish. Because it was real, and pure…_

_Shippo pulled one hand away from his eyes, and sighed as he turned around, but unbeknownst to his parents, he was smiling. Even though it made him sick to his stomach to see them all over each other, he was happy that they had finally gotten together. And that was all that mattered to him._

_End Flashback… _

Yes, now it all made sense. And he really had given her the most amazing wedding ring she ever thought he could give her. And now as she looked into his eyes, she smiled once more.

"Ye have all now said what ye wanted to say," Kaede said warmly. "And from what I can see, it has greatly touched each of your hearts. The love ye two couples share is phenomenal, and should be treasured for the rest of ye's lives. Which is why, I am so grateful to be the one to say this to ye both…"

And as the two couples looked back at her, she smiled once more.

"I now pronounce ye, husband and wife…. Ye may kiss your brides."

And with that, Sango jumped into Miroku's arms and kissed him deeply. And in return, he picked her slightly off the ground and just held her there in his arms.

Kagome smiled shyly at her hanyou as she wrapped her arms around his neck. And when there lips touched for the first time in a day, Inuyasha picked her up by her waist as well, only he slowly began to spin in circles with her in his arms. As her dress fanned out and slowly began to circle them, she laughed. This was her perfect moment with him, and it was going to stay fresh in her mind for the rest of her life, no matter how long that would be. When he finally set her down, he held her close. Taking in her scent and natural warmth he loved so much. And when he finally looked into her eyes, he smiled.

"We did it," he said softly to her.

Kagome smiled and kissed him again.

"Yes," she whispered with her lips against his. "We finally did."

And with that, everyone clapped in celebration. This truly was a moment none of them would ever forget. So, as the newly married couples started to walk away, the other couples along with Kaede, Sachi, and Shippo, followed afterwards. Starting their way back to the village for their little after party.

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**Sniff!**

**I love weddings!**

**Okay, now I want a lot of reviews for this chapter!**

**I worked my butt off on it after all!**

**: P**

**Tell me what you thought.**

**Toodles,**

**Me**

**: P**


	7. Chapter 6: The Wedding Night

**Okay people!**

**I'm wicked, wicked, WICKED sorry this chapter took so long!**

**But here it is people!!!! **

**This is the next long, awaited chapter in '9 Months'.**

**Now, I will be giving you a few reasons why this one is so ridiculously long.**

**1.) Everyone seems to love my long chapters.**

**2.) Splitting this up would have driven me bat shit insane.**

**And 3.) Long chappies are WAY more fun to read.**

**So, I hope everyone isn't too mad at me.**

**Have fun!**

**Me**

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_Chapter 6: The Wedding Night…_

As the night started to wind down, everyone was having a great time. Koga kept rubbing noses with Ayame, and telling her she looked absolutely stunning. Rin was in Sesshomaru's lap, with his one arm wrapped over her chest protectively, and he kept breathing in her scent and kissing the side of her neck smiling. Miroku and Sango were playfully wrestling on the ground of the hut; which Kaede had asked the villagers to make as a wedding present to them. And Inuyasha had his arms around Kagome's shoulders, nuzzling her neck every chance he got.

"Hey mom," Shippo asked as he looked to his parents. "Can I stay with Grandma tonight in your time?"

Kagome looked at her son a little confused. But she kind of figured why he wouldn't want to be around tonight of all nights. His hearing was way too good, so he would either be bunking with Totosai, or he would try and go to her time to get away from the four mating couples. And even though Miroku and Sango were merely human, they would be doing things tonight just like everyone else, and her son really knew not to be around that. And her time seemed a lot safer since the old demon was having an issue with snoring fire now. Last time he had spent the night, poor Kirara ended up with burn marks over her ears and the tips of her tails.

Safe to say, she wasn't a very happy kitty.

Kagome looked to her husband, who was now smiling and talking to his brother. Sesshomaru and him were talking about something to do with the other night when she and the others were in her time.

"Honey?" she said getting his attention. "It looks like I'm going to have to make more than one trip to my time tonight. Shippo wants to go to my house with my mother. Is that okay?"

Inuyasha looked to his son and mother-in-law, who were sitting on the other side of the hut. He smiled knowing that Shippo wanted to spend some time with her, and get to see Kagome's world finally. But he was grateful for the fact that his son did in fact have some common sense.

Tonight wasn't just a mating for the rest of them; it was there time to be alone with each other. And since Miroku and Sango would stay in the hut, Koga and Ayame were going to go back to their den they had made a few weeks ago in a cave, Sesshomaru was going to be taking Rin back to the Castle he had in the mountains, and he…. He was going to take Kagome somewhere very special to him.

So, thinking this was a great idea, he smiled at his wife…. And soon to be life mate, and gave her a reassuring look.

"Yeah, I'll even go with you if you want," he said softly. "I haven't seen that fat cat of yours for a while now anyways. And I'd like to inform Shippo of the things he can and cannot do while he's there."

Kagome smiled and squeezed his hand that was resting on her shoulder. Stealing another glance at her wedding ring, she looked to Totosai and smiled at him.

"Totosai," she said warmly.

The old fire demon looked at her, giving her a famous toothless smile.

"I take it you like your ring, my dear?"

"Yes," she said with a hint of a laugh. "And I am very impressed with the detail in it."

Sighing a breath of relief, Totosai stood up.

"Well, then I am going to head off to bed now," he said heading out of the door. "I shall be staying with Kaede tonight, so if any of you need me, you know where to find me."

Everyone nodded at him as he left the hut. Feeling the need to drop the others off in Kagome's time, Inuyasha stood up.

Looking to his brother, he gave him a signal to follow him as he helped Kagome off of the floor. She was still in her wedding dress, and from what he could tell, it was a little hard to stand up in.

Sesshomaru nudged Rin gently with his nose, signaling her to get up with him. And as she stood, his gaze followed her body as it moved.

_'Uh oh,"_ he thought.

Her backside was right in his face. And it was a tantalizing site before his eyes. Normally, he could control himself. But because of the fact that they were going to mate tonight, it was getting harder and harder to resist her.

"Sesshomaru?" his brother said to him. "Are you okay?"

Finally snapping out of his stupor, Sesshomaru jumped up and nodded at his brother. But the look in his eyes anyone could read at that moment.

He wanted his mate.

And he wasn't going to be able to hold back for much longer.

Inuyasha took careful notice of his brothers eyes, and how they were now following Rin's body everywhere she stepped. Thinking quickly, he shoved him outside of the hut and turned to Rin.

"Rin," he said quietly. "In case you haven't noticed, Sesshomaru is about to lose control. I'm going to take him with us to the well. But when he comes back here to get you… don't be surprised if he wants to leave very suddenly. Got it?"

At first, Rin looked confused. But as she thought about it, her demon lord was acting a little out of character, even for himself as of late. So, nodding her head, she rushed back into the hut, and started saying her goodbyes.

As Inuyasha walked over to his brother, who was panting and supporting himself by his arm on a small tree, he looked towards him, with gratitude in his now tired, stressed out eyes.

"Thank you, little brother," he said between gasps for air. "I don't know what came over me in there."

Inuyasha gave him a smile and patted him on the back. Since his brother had only recently allowed his emotions to surface, his need to mate must have been a tremendous urge, and for Sesshomaru, not being in touch with his inner emotions for so long, it must have been almost painful to control himself.

Inuyasha could understand. Everytime he even smelled Kagome's scent since their wedding he was about to hit that same reaction. Since her scent was even stronger than it normally was, thanks to her perfume in her hair, Inuyasha's body was about to split in two. The human in him wanted to be inside of her now, and the demon half… well, as far as he could tell, that half of his soul wanted to take Kagome as it's life mate; giving her the life span his demon soul possesed, and possibly create a child with her as well.

"Don't mention it," he said as he saw his wife on her way to the well, now wearing a pair of white and silver ballet flats as she stepped onto the stony surface of the trail. "Let's both go and say goodbye to them. She's your mother-in-law too don't forget."

His brother smiled at him as they slowly started there way to the well. It really didn't bother them that they were so far behind, and spending this time with each other was important, since they did it so rarely.

Kagome stopped halfway up the hill and turned around. She smiled when she saw her husband and brother-in-law walking next to each other. They seemed to just be walking in silence, but Kagome knew better.

They were bonding a little more in their own way. And she could feel the uncertainty in both of these amazing men. They were worried about tonight, and worried if they would be able to protect either her and Rin from harm.

Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had still had a very complicated relationship the last time she checked. They still didn't know the meaning of truly being a family, and somehow, she could sense how badly they wanted to be. So, feeling the need to help them along a little, she called to them both to hurry up.

When both of the men looked at her, she smiled at seeing the twin pair of golden sunset eyes as they stared at her, practically glowing in the faint light of the crescent moon. If Inuyasha had been born a true, full demon, there was no question in her mind that the two of them could have possibly been identical twins. Other than the fact that he had dog ears, no markings on his face, and he was slightly shorter than Sesshomaru.

But if he had been born a full demon, then she never would have met him. Or even fallen in love, or married him. Plus, she loved him the way he was, and those ears were just so hard to resist in her mind.

"It's pretty bad when a human woman is telling you boys to hurry up," she laughed gently as they both finally reached her side. "Come on, Mom's waiting for us."

Inuyasha took her hand as they began to walk once more, taking in her warmth and finding peace once again in her soul. Sighing as he looked up at the sky, he smiled.

Sesshomaru noticed his brother's odd behavior instantly. He was never this at peace or calm around him. Never.

"Brother, what are you so happy about?" he asked as the well finally came into view.

That's when Inuyasha looked at him, and the warmth in his own golden eyes reminded him of someone he hadn't seen in a very long time.

Their father.

"Life, Sesshomaru. I'm happy about life."

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When everyone had said their goodbyes, Mrs. Higurashi hugged Sesshomaru. He was stiff at first, but gradually and slowly hugged her back.

Kagome and Inuyasha both watched on, smiling as Sesshomaru realized that he had a new mother. Even though she was human, and not blood related. This simple, human woman, would be there for him if he needed it enough. And that was all that mattered to him.

Kagome smiled as she watched Sesshomaru hug her mother back. He had been trying so hard to understand his emotions, and now, the progress was showing. She wondered if him finally discovering his emotions so late in life would have made things even harder on him way back. But he seemed to be doing just fine now, and since he had Rin to love him freely now, he would most likely still be going through some more changes.

Inuyasha chuckled lightly as Sesshomaru finally pulled away and gave off his timid scent. For some reason, he was still shy and acted like a little kid around such forms of emotion, especially if it wasn't coming from Rin.

"Well," he said finally looking back at all of them. "I believe I must be going now. Rin is waiting for me."

"Okay dear," Sachi said warmly as she smiled at him. "I expect to see all of you in a few months time come over to the other side of the well. I believe you'd also like to meet your brother-in-law sometime too, am I correct?"

Sesshomaru nodded at her as he smiled back.

"Yes," he said as he looked at Inuyasha with a large amount of warmth in his golden eyes. "I'd like to meet the rest of my new family."

"Ugh! Can we go now, please?!" Shippo whined as Kirara yawned in his lap. "My mushy crap meter just exploded."

"Shippo," Inuyasha said warningly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he said in a bored voice to his father. "Fine. I'll shut up now."

"Thank the gods," Sesshomaru mumbled.

"I heard that," he said glaring at his uncle.

Sesshomaru turned to look at his nephew with a wicked grin upon his flawless face.

"I thought you said you were going to 'shut up' as you put it?"

"And I thought you said you were going to go and find your woman so you can-"

"That's enough you two!" Kagome growled at them both, sending death glares.

Shippo left his unfinished statement sitting on his tongue as he shut his mouth and began to softly pet Kirara, who was now asleep in his lap. He had asked earlier if he could bring her as well, seeing as she would most likely have slept at Kaede's tonight and most likely gotten singed once more by Totosai. His grandmother had had no problem with it what so ever. And seeing as he would be up most of the night anyways checking out everything he possibly could from his mother's time, she had asked him if he would like to watch something she called a 'movie' and eat some of the treats from her time that Kagome had never been able to bring over for him as a child.

Shippo knew that no matter what direction he had gone in tonight, he would most likely hear the three 'mating' couples wherever he went. Sango and Miroku weren't really and issue to him. But he had had no idea where his father was bringing Kagome tonight to have the ceremony. So the farther away he was, the better. And his mother's time would do just fine for him.

"Well, I think it's time we left then," Inuyasha said in a nervous tone as he placed his hands on Kagome's shoulders, trying to ease her back into her normal, happy state. Turning back to his brother, he smiled. "We'll see you in a few days?"

Sesshomaru smirked. His brother was a lot smarter than he had originally let on after all.

"Yes," he said warmly. "And I will be bringing a few things from the castle back with me most likely. So once all of us are back, we need to start building."

Inuyasha nodded. He had a feeling that Kaede wanted her space now more than ever from all of them. And since Miroku and Sango had a hut all to themselves on the other side of the village, he figured it was time Kagome, Sesshomaru, Rin, and himself, had another place to sleep at night. It was true, they all loved being so close. But they needed their own homes now that they were trying to act like adults.

"Your right," Inuyasha said smiling. "I'll remind Koga in a few days."

Feeling as though there was no need to stay here any longer, Kagome gave Sesshomaru a quick hug and grabbed her mother's hand. When she jumped through the well, Sesshomaru noticed the glowing blue light faintly pouring out of it. Within moments, she was back and climbing up the ladder Inuyasha had put in for her only a little while ago.

"Shippo, are you ready?" she asked him softly.

Shippo gently picked up the sleeping cat demon from his lap and held her close, not wanting to lose her in the travel through time. When he nodded, he took her hand and jumped up to the rim of the well.

As Kagome took her place along side him, she looked back at her husband.

"I'll be right behind you," he said softly to her.

Kagome nodded, and jumped down with Shippo this time, and as the blue light caused the rim of the well to glow once more, Inuyasha looked to his brother, and smiled.

"Good luck tonight," he said warmly.

"You too, little brother," Sesshomaru said back in just about the same tone.

Sesshomaru began to turn around and waved behind him as he heard his brother jump onto the rim of the well. Hearing the creaking of the old wood cease as his brother jumped down, he began walking.

Walking slowly, he started his way back to the village, looking up at the bright shining stars of the night. It had been almost six years since he had returned to his castle. So he had had no idea if it was still in fairly good shape, and even a remotely honorable place to bring Rin tonight. It was high up in the mountains and hidden very well from the rest of the world, so he knew no one could have invaded it and clamed it as their own.

Suddenly, he could smell her scent, and looking up quickly, he found her standing a few feet before him. Gods, she was so beautiful in the faint light of the moon. Her hair was still in thick, curly waves and held the glowing roses of the night still.

She smiled shyly at him as she walked up to where he stood before her. Sesshomaru could feel his blood begin to surge as he stared at her in her silk red kimono.

"Hello," she said shyly to him. "Where did you go before?"

Sesshomaru seemed to calm the moment he heard her voice. It was strange. One moment, he wanted nothing more than to whisk her away in the night, and then the next, his demon blood cooled. Allowing him to be as he had been with her for a while now.

Calm, and gentle.

"I went to say goodbye to everyone," he said as she traced her fingers over his chest gently. "Inuyasha thought I should since we are all now a family."

Rin nodded.

"I would have gone with you, but I felt at liberty so say goodnight to everyone else."

Rin was very cautious of how she approached her demon lord now, knowing full well he could lose control of his demon senses since he really had no control over them tonight of all night's. Looking into his eyes of gold, she smiled warmly and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"So, are you ready to leave yourself?" she asked him now so close to his lips. "I believe we have quite a journey to the castle tonight."

Sesshomaru wrapped his solitary arm around her waist, smiling as he brought her closer to him. He wished so much that he could lift her into his arms and carry her the entire way. But due to his only having one arm, it might be difficult, and he could have possibly dropped her in the process.

Rin had seen the turmoil play on his face at that moment, and knew exactly why he was sad. He wanted to do what the others had done so many times with their women. Carry her. But she knew he couldn't; when she had been younger it had been a totally different story. She had been much smaller and weighed much less. Now she had grown so much, that her head grazed his chin when she tucked it underneath.

"Sesshomaru…," she sighed. "It is not a big deal, my love. And yes, I can see in your eyes what you wish to do so badly." At that moment she placed her hand on the side of his face, stroking his cheek lovingly. "I love you as you are. And nothing will ever change that… besides, it just means more time for us… does it not?" she added smiling.

Sesshomaru laughed richly at this. She truly knew him inside and out. And he could not deny her the pleasure of hearing his mood change. But he did want to carry her most of the way if not all.

So without warning, he bent down and scooped her into his arm tightly, making her squeak from the sudden movement. He had a very good grip on her surprisingly, and by her wrapping her arms around his neck tightly, she managed to stay in his embrace very well indeed.

"I think we just figured out how to do this," he said giving her a devilish grin.

"I guess so," she said laughing as she absently crooked her legs closer under his hand. "So, I guess we are ready to go now?"

Sesshomaru smiled once more at her. It would most likely take them a little over an hour to reach the castle, since in was so high up in the mountains, but he was determined to carry her. And if he couldn't do it, they could always walk the rest of the way.

Leaning in suddenly, Sesshomaru nuzzled the scar on her cheek lovingly with his nose. It was her only imperfection, and ever since she had received it from the battle that day, he felt as though they were more alike now than ever before.

"As long as you are ready," he whispered, sending chills down her spine.

"Yes, I am," she said as she leaned into him more.

Sesshomaru kissed her passionately, and as he drank in her scent and lips that were upon his, he realized what his brother meant about being happy about life.

Rin was his life. And with her, life meant more than he ever thought he could imagine. So, taking her into the night, he felt his other troubles melt away into the darkness…. And let the light in his heart follow him as he went.

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Koga seemed to be finding it even harder now than ever to stay where he was sitting. Ayame's scent was driving him absolutely insane with the extra volume it had due to her perfume.

He still had a very hard time believing that he was with her. A warrior princess of the demon wolf tribe. and found it even harder that he had once chosen Kagome over her.

True, he still had feelings for the miko, but those feelings were more towards friendship than anything else now. And if it hadn't been for Kagome, he would have never realized how much Ayame meant to him in the first place.

But that was all in the past now, and he felt it everyday in his soul how much he truly loved Ayame.

She had been there for him when the rest of his tribe had been murdered from a surprise attack. Allowing him to cry and shed his hidden emotions in her arms. It had taken him weeks to recover from his loss.

But it had been _her _that had saved him from destruction. Not Kagome. And that was when he realized how much he really needed her.

A while after they had both joined the hanyou and miko, he had found that his interest was no longer in the woman he had been chasing for years now. He found that he was dreaming at night of hair the color of fire, and eyes so green they seemed to make the luscious meadows seem dull.

And after they had been with the unusual pack for over a year, he made his promise to Ayame, that he would be her mate. But only once Naraku had been defeated would that happen.

And she had understood completely, smiling and hugging him as he had breathed in her scent over and over again.

And now, that very scent was about to make him mad.

Ayame flipped her long, straight hair over her shoulders as she watched her soon-to-be mate fidget where he stood. She could feel the pull in her body as well, knowing full well that they were pushing their limits right now. She had been waiting for this moment for five years. Ever since he had made his promise and proposal to her, she had kept her demon nature at bay, knowing full well his reasons this time around.

But she was about to snap from the torture she was putting them both threw. So, being the smart female she was, Ayame stood, and waved to the human couple as they were playfully batting at each other once more.

"I think it's time we left," she said as she smiled at both of them.

Koga nearly jumped to his feet in sheer joy.

"Well," Miroku said as he managed to get a hold of both of Sango's arms and pin them just above her head on the floor. "If you must, shall we be seeing you both in a few days then?"

Looking to Koga, she gave him a sly smile that sent shivers down his spine as he stood next to her.

"Yeah," he said warmly to his friend. "We'll be back in about two days time. We still need to head back to the caves and pick up a few certain things."

Miroku nodded, but as he pulled his attention away from the woman beneath him, Sango managed to take the advantage and slip out from under him.

"Oof!" was all he could say as his wife flipped him over and landed on his stomach suddenly.

"Ha!" she said as she crossed her arms and smirked down at him playfully. "Told you, you could not beat me."

Miroku's eyebrow raised as his gaze went to his friends. But thought better of it and just smiled back at her.

"Okay," he said softly not tearing his gaze away from his wife. "We'll see you in a few days then."

And with that they left. As Ayame waved one last time at their human friends, she looked to Koga, and smiled.

"What?" he asked her, smiling.

But the answer he was hoping to receive from her never came as she started to run. For a moment, Koga was dumbstruck, but soon laughed and followed her in his own pursuit.

As they reached the meadow, Ayame crouched in the tall grass and waited for him to catch up. She smiled to herself as his scent of mountain air reached her nose, and she could tell he was only mere feet in front of her.

Koga glanced around the entire clearing, but he couldn't find the woman of his dreams anywhere. Since the scent of the wild flowers in the meadow was so strong, he could only tell she was there. But he knew she was playing with him as wolves do. And that this was meant to be a fun, loving moment between them.

As soon as he was about to call out to her, Koga felt his body suddenly fall backwards as Ayame pounced on him. He crashed to the ground in a loud thump, and she was laughing at him. Koga laughed with her as he tried to wrap his arms around her, but she managed to grasp them both in hers and hold him down.

Inching her face closer to his, Koga closed his eyes and awaited her kiss. The one that made him see stars everytime. But without any warning, she jumped off of him, laughing and smiling as she began to run once more. He smiled as he rolled his eye jumping up, and as he chased her, he called out to her.

"You think you can outrun me?" he laughed as she changed her direction.

"Maybe," she laughed at him as they finally made there way into the woods. "It all depends on how badly you want me."

Koga's eyes widened at her sweet answer. So, this wasn't just a game after all. And judging from where they were headed, Koga could tell what his female wanted.

She wanted to mate, and now was the time.

Using all of his strength, Koga pushed his legs into the ground harder. Trying as hard as he could to catch up to her. And when he was about within an arms reach of her, she changed her direction once more, making him stumble into a tree.

Ayame stopped short and turned to look at him. He was on the ground, and he appeared to be unconscious. Feeling a rush in her body full of worry, she rushed over to him and held his face in her hands.

"Koga? Koga answer me. Are you all-"

Within seconds, his arms were wrapped around her tightly as his lips pressed against hers. At first, she tried to struggle out of his hold, but gave in as she felt herself melt into him. His lips were the softest bliss she had ever been allowed to have, and now, he had her.

Koga drank in her scent once more, finding the peace in his soul he had been needing for weeks now. Ayame had been very stern whenever they had come too close, knowing the wolf in him would try to get what it wanted so desperately. And now, that he was holding her in his arms, he knew instantly how right she had been. He did not want to ever let her go, and he never wanted to stop kissing her perfect lips that tasted of honey. The fact that his demon soul wanted her more than ever now was the reason she had kept all of his affection at bay.

And now was the time he could allow his nature to rise and become whatever he felt was necessary.

Still keeping his hold on her, Koga forced himself up to his feet and started to run. The wind whipped his now unbound hair around his face as he carried her through the woods, over the lakes, and to their final destination. A small cave set in the side of a mountain hidden by the trees and bushes surrounding it.

They had both found this spot a month or so ago, and decided that this was where they would mate when the time came. It had reminded them of the den in the mountains Koga had once controlled. And now, since it was now destroyed and unsafe to dwell in, they had been searching for a new home to call their own.

Inuyasha had actually been the one to tell them to look in these parts. And it was because of him that they had found this amazing cave. Koga still could not believe that his best friend was the man he had once hated so much. But he was very grateful for everything he and Kagome had done for him.

"Koga?"

Looking down he saw his beautiful Ayame staring at him with those green eyes the color of emeralds. It was odd how everytime he looked into them he became lost. But he figured it was his love for her that caused him to lose himself in those depths of green heaven.

"Yes?" he asked her as he nuzzled the side of her face.

"I… I have a surprise for you, my love," she stuttered shyly as her cheeks turned a light pink as his lips brushed against her face. " But…I need you to put me down first….before I can show you."

Koga's eyes of the glowing midnight blue she always loved, glowed in the darkness of the cave and showed her his warmest smile from behind them. As he set her down, Ayame smiled nervously as she undid her robes. She wasn't sure if he would be pleased or angry from what she was wearing underneath. But she would soon find out.

Koga watched her as she undressed before him, not knowing at all what she had planned. But as soon as he saw the dark green fabric that shined lightly against her skin, his eyes widened.

As the kimono fell to the floor in a soft thump, Ayame brought her arms up over her chest in a means to try and hide from him. She felt exposed and didn't know if he was happy, shocked, or possibly even angry with her for wearing something like this. But as soon as she looked at his face, she had her answer.

With his jaw hanging open and his eyes holding the kind of lust she had never seen before, she knew he was in the happy kind of shock.

"Do…do you like it?" she asked shyly.

Within moments, Koga had his arms around her tightly. At first she was shocked and had no idea what he was doing this for. But, she remembered how Kagome had explained that in her time, from what she understood, was that this outfit was a way to show love and a side of you to your partner that you did in fact have a wild side.

Well, she felt more exposed than wild, but Koga was loving it.

"Yes," he whispered in her ear, sending chills down her spine. When he stepped away to look at her once more, he almost had a confused kind of smile on his face. "But where did you get this? I've never seen anything even remotely like it."

Ayame smiled. Well, at least it was indeed something he had never seen before. So that was a good sign. And for some strange reason, her self confidence boosted instantly.

"Kagome's time, has a lot of interesting things back in it," she said with a smile on her face as she now circled him slowly. Touching his skin lightly with her nails and scraping them lightly across his flesh. "You'd be impressed with the other things I came home with for sure."

Koga laughed, but shivered as her nails trailed across his spine. Her nails were much sharper and even pointy next to any human woman's. but the feeling of the slight touch soothed him inwardly.

When she finally came back around to face him, he smiled looking at her. The night blooming flowers in her hair literally glowed, making her smile more vibrant in the darkened cave. Koga touched one lightly with his fingers.

Looking at her with an enchanted smile, he kissed her lightly on the lips. But within moments, it was no longer just an innocent kiss.

The passion she was feeling erupt in her soul was beyond anything she had ever known before. Ayame wrapped her slender arms around his neck within moments of feeling his lips against hers. And started slowly pushing up against the wall of the cave.

This was the wolf in her. She knew it.

But for once, she didn't allow herself to hold back. Koga was the man of her dreams. He was her life, her air, and even her sun. In that moment, all she wanted, was him.

Koga felt the rough wall of stone lightly cut into his back as he came flush with the cold surface. But at the moment, he was more encased in what was in front of him than behind. Ayame's lips tasted as they always did to him. Of honey and something more. When he opened his eyes to look at her, he gasped.

Her eyes were yellow and green.

The color and texture of a wolf's.

Ayame pulled back suddenly, sensing his shock the moment it had happened. Looking at him with a little confusion in her eyes, she noticed that she could see more clearly in the dark than she ever had before. She could see the outline in every ridge of the walls, where in some spots there were spots covered in moss and even some twigs on the floor in the deeper part of the cave. Looking at Koga, she started to shake.

"Koga? What's happening to me?"

But looking at him nearly made her own fear rise. His eyes were now like hers. The only difference was that his normal crystal blues were shining around the yellow jagged outline that had never been there before.

In that instant, Ayame knew what was happening to the both of them. When she had been a pup, her mother had told her of a time in every wolf demon's life when the wolf in them would show it's heart threw it's eyes. Wolves, at least natural ones, always had two tone eyes. And when anyone from the wolf demon tribe was to mate, their eyes would change to that of a true wolf's when they had found their true love. Most of the time, it was the only way any of the demons would mate. They would search the world for the one male or female who's eyes would change to that of a wolves along with theirs. She just never thought it was possible that Koga was actually her one, true life mate.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, more concerned than ever.

But Ayame only smiled widely at him, showing her fangs as her wolf like eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Nothing…," she whispered stepping into his arms and wrapping her own around him lovingly. "Everything is perfectly fine. I just never thought this would happen."

"What _is _happening?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist. "I've never felt this alive and whole before."

Ayame answered him in the only way she felt she could at that moment, and kissed him deeply.

Koga's eyes shut automatically as he felt her lips caressing his. The blood in his veins felt as though it were on fire with every motion her tongue swept into his. His senses were alive, and he could feel every fiber of her being in and around him. With the thought fading from his mind as he kissed her, he figured he could always ask her later. Nothing but her lips mattered at that moment. And everything else he wanted to do was no longer out of lustful need. It was out of making his _mate_ happy.

So, laying her body down gently on the moss, straw bed covered in a soft thick quilt Koga kissed every inch of her body. Tasting her flesh as he went, he heard her moan his name lightly as he nipped at her flesh near her thigh.

'_I gotta remember that's one of her spots,_' he thought to himself as she moaned once more. He smiled as he reached the bottom of the dark green fabric and smelled her arousal seeping through it gently. But he wasn't done playing yet. He wanted her to feel, see, and sense his love for her.

And that's just what he did.

Crawling back up her body slowly, he found the straps to the seemingly light fabric, and slowly pulled them down as he kissed her lips, neck and collarbone lovingly. At first, she seemed afraid. Most likely because no one had ever seen this much of her body to begin with. But whatever was happening to Koga's body at the moment, when he looked at her, she suddenly relaxed once again.

"Sorry," she whispered looking at him with those incredibly yellow green eyes. "I guess I'm nervous."

"You don't have to feel sorry," he whispered to her, sending chills down her spine. "If I'm going too fast for you, just tell me, Ayame. I don't want to scare you."

Looking into his golden blue orbs that seemed to take on a life all their own on his face, she smiled at him. She could tell it was the wolf in him talking to her along with Koga just in general. Both personalities were blending together. Feeling worried and concerned for her at the same time. She almost found it hard to believe, that normally what everyone else thought could be a beast, was caring for her with every ounce of their being.

"I could never be afraid of you," she said with a smile playing across her lips.

She stroked the side of his face in a way to reassure him to continue. When he finally complied, Koga gently reached around her, and kissed her gently as his hands grazed the clasps behind the garment. He smiled inwardly, remembering a time way back when Shippo had run around the woods wearing one of Kagome's bras around his chest. His father had been annoyed at him for something, and had put it on the kitsune while he had been asleep by the river. Koga had unfortunately been the one stuck helping him get out of the contraption, but luckily, he'd never forgotten how to take them off without ripping them to shreds.

So, taking his time and acting like he had never done this before, Koga fiddled slightly with the first, second and third clasp, until the garment hung loosely around Ayame's form. She laughed fully has he smiled upon his accomplishment, giving her a lop sided grin as he slowly pulled the fabric down exposing her breasts.

His breath caught in his chest as he looked down at the white creamy mounds of flesh before him. He was eager more or less beyond anything to see the rest of her. But he wanted to be as slow as possible.

"Ayame…," he said with love in his voice, which now held a low rasp to it.

Ayame was no longer afraid as she looked up at him sheepishly. The light pink blush that dusted her cheeks was the same pink as her nipples, which were now swelling slightly in the cool air night drifting into the cave. Koga thought he would never tear his gaze away from her, she was just so beautiful. And the odd part was he hadn't even seen all of her yet. But he had all the time in the world right now.

Sitting up suddenly, he pulled his vest over his head and threw it to the ground near the wall of the cave. Smiling as he ravished her lips once more with his. Koga heard her giggle lightly as she ran her fingers through his hair. He chuckled feeling her fingers run down his back, knowing full well she was now completely comfortable with him. So, he moved lower, kissing the front of her neck, collarbones, and chest lightly. Working his way to her right breast slowly. She moaned loudly as he finally reached his destination, and suckled on her. He felt his head swim with sheer pleasure as he heard her moan his name once more.

When the taught, hard pink nub was swelling beyond measure, he slowly kissed his way over to the other one. Finding the taste of her skin more enjoyable than any food he had ever eaten in his life.

Ayame's body felt as though it were on cloud nine. Everywhere was beginning to tingle with everything her warrior wolf prince did to her. Her legs rubbed against each other furiously, trying to fight the fire they felt between them that was growing.

As if he sensed it in her, Koga slowly lowered one of his hand's to where she was aching the most. Slightly lifting the small skirt of the fabric, he found her swollen, aching, wet area of her body that was craving him. At first, he was surprised by how wet she already was. But felt no reason to go down there yet to caress her there with his mouth. So, pulling the thin, tiny pair of green satin panties to the side as best as he could, Koga found what he had a feeling was driving his poor Ayame insane, and stroked the swollen, tiny bulb with his fingers gently.

Ayame's body shivered as she felt electricity run through her body an instant later, causing her to arch off of the bed slightly. She moaned loudly as he continued his slow assault on her. But found herself grabbing his back and using her claws on his flesh as she made a fist.

At first, Koga felt the gab of stinging pain seer his spine as her claws cut into his flesh. But a moment later, the pain turned into a pleasure he had never thought he could feel. His spine tingled as he breathed in her arousal drifting to his nose. And that was when he lifted his mouth from her other nipple, and blew on the tiny, swollen tip gently.

Ayame hissed suddenly at feeling the sudden temperature change against her skin. But the movement between her thighs had her more or less distracted from what Koga was doing to her upper half. When he pulled his hand away, she whimpered lightly and clung to his shoulders, not seeing the blood on her fingers from cutting him.

Koga laughed as he gently moved her hands off of him, and smiled down at her lovingly.

"Don't worry, I'm nowhere near done with you," he whispered.

Gently taking her arms out of the top half of the lingerie, Koga threw it on the other side of the room and started to kiss his way down to her stomach. Ayame shivered once more, but this time at feeling his lips press against the flesh of her hip.

Smiling at this light tremor, Koga continued to kiss her lovingly as he pulled her underwear down, and eventually off of her. Upon seeing the tiny nest of red curls, he smiled warmly at her face and gently parted her legs.

The moment his lips touched her flesh, she arched her back and screamed. Feeling a fire explode in her body that she was sure had been a figment of her imagination moments ago. Koga drank her in, feeling his head spin with how close he was to this particular scent of hers. She tasted of honey here as well, and he loved how much of it there was for him to taste. Licking and drinking her in, he found he really liked this. And when he looked up at her, she seemed to be enjoying this as well.

Ayame took in a sharp breath as she felt something strange stir in her abdomen. Like her body was about to lose complete control. As Koga continued doing whatever he was doing, Ayame felt the current grow stronger and stronger. Until finally, she screamed his name.

Koga almost looked up at her, scared he had hurt her, that is until he realized she was pretty much soaking wet now where she laid before him. Her body started to spasm with every lick he gave to her flesh, and upon hearing her moan out in a cry for mercy, Koga kissed his way back up to her lips.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

After a moment, she nodded, but her body was craving more of whatever he had just done to her. Looking in his eyes, she gave a hungry growl, letting him know instantly that she wanted so much more.

Reaching around him finding the single button to his leathers, she pulled it out of place and ripped the garment from his body. Ayame ran her fingers along his legs in that moment and brought them higher. She was fine until she found the deep scratches she had given him from before, and stopped instantly.

"Did I… did I hurt you before?" she asked in a shaky voice.

Koga realized why she felt so bad in that moment, but only smiled as he kissed her lips lightly.

"No, you didn't hurt me Ayame. I'm perfectly fine."

"But Koga…"

He laughed lightly as he trailed his fingers down her thin slender jaw line.

"I'm okay. So don't worry about me."

His smile of reassurance had her fear melt away from her. As they sat together, naked and mostly in the dark apart from the slight moons glow and the night blooming flowers still in her hair, Ayame adjusted her legs slightly and looked into his eyes.

"I'm ready…," she whispered smiling at him.

Koga sighed warmly at her. So, this was it.

He felt a strange sense of ease in his soul along with fear. Koga had no idea what he was doing, so he didn't want to possibly hurt her. But in that moment, his instincts took over and he lowered his shaft to the area he knew mentally where it was suppose to go, and thrust himself in.

Ayame screamed as pain ripped at her insides upon feeling herself fill with him. She clung to his shoulders as tight as she could, knowing that from what her mother had told her, the first time always hurt. Koga stopped as he finally filled her completely, stretching her out far beyond anything she was thought possible, and looked at her with a sad look in his eyes.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked.

As the pain slowly started to ease away in the moments that passed, Ayame shook her head. This was normal. She knew that. But she had a feeling he had no idea at all why she was hurting.

"From what my mother once told me, the first time will always hurt. So don't worry. It will be gone in a moment," she breathed onto his lips as she pressed her own against his. "Just wait a few more minutes for the pain to stop. I'll be fine after that."

Koga wrapped his arms around her protectively in that instant, finding it hard to believe every female went through this anytime they did this for the first time ever in their lives. He could only imagine by the way she was lightly shaking in his arms how bad the pain must have been for her.

Moments later though, her shaking stopped and she smiled up at him.

"Told you I would be okay."

Koga smiled at her after a moment, trying to see if in her eyes she was only saying this for his sake. But when he could no longer feel her body's tremors, he finally took the initiative to continue on.

They both had to admit, this felt better than what they originally thought it would. Koga felt as though she were hugging his entire being within her body. And Ayame could feel more waves of whatever she had felt before building up inside her.

Koga buried his head in her neck, feeling his fangs starting to throb from not being used on her neck. Ayame's were feeling the same as she grabbed a bunch of his hair in her hands and screamed, feeling her body flood with another rushing current of pleasure.

They must have only been laying there a few mere minutes, but in truth, it felt like a lifetime to the both of the wolves. Upon feeling his own explosion, Koga bit down hard on the side of her neck, feeling her blood rush to his mouth like a wave. Ayame did the same moments later, and felt his power leak into her soul as she felt him shudder inside her continuously.

Koga lifted his mouth moments later, his lips saturated in her own blood. Bending down once more, he licked the wounds until they stopped flowing and were clean. Ayame repeated the process as soon as his body dropped onto hers roughly. Knowing full well he was most likely tired at the moment and feeling different altogether.

Without any warning, both of the sides where they had bitten each other had started to tingle like they were being shocked with electricity. Ayame whimpered feeling the lightening running against her neck like a hurricane. And Koga did his best not to scream.

A few moments later, the pain was gone. Koga's first instinct was to check over his bride and see if she was all right. And that's when he saw the marking in green and blue on her neck.

'Lovers Spirit'

So, it was their spirit's of which had joined in their ceremony. Something of which was fairly rare amongst the wolf tribe, but not so rare he had never seen this particular marking before.

He had seen it on his father's neck when he had been a pup. The only difference was it had been blue and grey. His father had told him, that if he were ever lucky enough to receive this marking with whomever he mated with, then he would understand why his father smiled so often. Now he understood.

This was the marking of a true mate, one he would feel wherever she went. Be it a thousand miles, or in death.

Ayame would always be with him.

"Lovers Spirit…," he whispered smiling at her. Brushing a stray hair away from her face, he kissed her lips as she giggled happily. "We have one of the best joinings in all of wolven history. This has only been seen three times."

"I know," she said as one of her flowers fell out of her hair. "So, what would you like to do now?… _Mate_."

But Koga only smiled at her as he pulled the extra blanket over them. This was going to be a night they would never forget.

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"So, this is where you live, Mom? This whole place is just one hut?" Shippo asked as he looked around the living room curiously.

Kagome smiled as she looked at her son inspecting everything he possibly could. Inuyasha was sitting on the stairs holding Kirara. Since Buyo had been sniffing her for about an hour now, she was quite content sleeping in Inuyasha's lap.

"It's not called a hut, it's called a house, son," Inuyasha said in his fatherly voice. Which he was still getting use to in a way.

Shippo stuck his tongue out at his father, but Kagome caught it in an instant and held on to it tightly.

"Behave," she warned him calmly. "Or else I'll make sure your grandmother doesn't give you anything sweet to eat."

As she released her hold on his tongue, Shippo pouted at her solemnly.

Ignoring it as best she could, she turned to her husband and smiled looking at Kirara.

"I take it she's out for the next few hours huh?"

Inuyasha nodded and gently lifted her out of his lap. When he stood up and placed the tiny cat demon in the crook of his arm, she mewed softy and twitched her paws.

"I think we need to let her sleep. Shippo can show her around tomorrow and for the next few days I think without getting into too much trouble, right kid?"

Shippo nodded as he stared at the refrigerator door, wondering what was inside. Inuyasha smirked, thinking that this would be an interesting time to tell his son what was in there.

"That's called a fridge. It holds a lot of food in it and somehow manages to keep things cool. Open the door."

Shippo did as he was told, and the next moment later, his jaw hit the floor. Inside he could smell foods he had never smelled before. Some were sweet and labeled cookie dough and icing. And others smelled of things he just couldn't place at the moment. But everything smelled amazing.

Turning to his grandmother, he gave her a childish smile.

"Are those the things you were talking about Grandma?"

She laughed as she noticed him pointing a single claw at the long package marked as cookie dough and nodded. Inuyasha swept in and smelled the wrapper himself, nearly gagging on the scent of chocolate.

"Word of advice," he said clapping his son on the shoulder. "You ever try to feed me that crap as a joke, my ghost will come back to haunt you for a thousand years."

"Why? What's so bad about it?" he asked innocently.

Inuyasha gave Kagome a sympathetic look, but explained in as short of a sentence as he could why he hated chocolate.

"Basically, that stuff is poisonous to dogs. I tried some a few years ago and…. Well, do you remember when I was really sick that one time? Throwing up everywhere and I looked like the walking dead?"

Shippo stood there for a moment and thought about that, then remembered the one time he had ever seen his father deathly ill. Inuyasha had just come back from Kagome's time after trying a chocolate bar. The results hadn't been very enjoyable to watch for days.

"You mean that's the stuff you ate?"

"Yup, but don't worry. You're a kitsune. It shouldn't affect you at all."

"And why exactly is that?" he asked skeptically.

Now it was Kagome's time to shed some light on the conversation.

"Foxes can eat just about anything. They do it all the time and never get sick. Survival of the fittest I guess. Either that or a really sturdy stomach. The only thing they aren't real fan's of is decaying meat."

Shippo shut the fridge and glared at the floor.

"Well, do I look like a… what do you call that thing again, Mom?" he said pointing to the sink.

"A garbage disposal," she sighed.

"Yeah, that thing?"

"No honey, you don't," she said rolling her eyes now.

"Thought so," he said now venturing into the living room and picking up the TV remote control. "So, what the heck is this thing?"

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Sesshomaru had been running with Rin in his arms for a little over an hour now. Feeling the winds of the mountains chilling his mate-to-be severely, he pushed on until he could see the walls of his castle in the distance.

At least it was still intact and standing. The last time he had been here had been a long time ago. Rin shivered in his arms as he jumped over the barricade made of enchanted stone. When he finally landed, Rin looked around her in shock.

It was still snowing quite a bit, but there was no longer a wind freezing her nearly to death.

"Sesshomaru?"

"Yes?" he asked setting her down finally.

"W-Where are we?" she asked now looking around in every direction. Seeing nothing.

Sesshomaru smiled and took her hand. Drawing her to follow him to a large tree. Rin thought this was in a way odd. He had told her that they were going his castle. But she saw none wherever she looked.

As thy reached the tree, an old woman's face appeared in the bark of the tree. Rin gasped as the old woman smiled at her warmly.

"Ah, so she is the one I take it master?" she asked in a sweet, kind voice.

"Yes, Hisa. Can you please permit her to see the castle?" he asked in a kind voice.

Hisa stared at her master, almost in shock at how nice he was being to her. Normally he was cold and distant. But she sensed a lot had changed in the years he had been gone.

"As you wish, Lord Sesshomaru," she whispered as the bark around her face engulfed her once more.

Rin looked on in awe as the castle slowly appeared before her. The stone walls seemed to be hand carved full of ancient markings and, to her dismay, humans chained to the bottom of the stone carvings. Sesshomaru's eyes widened. He had completey forgotten what had been carved on the castle when he had had it built for him over two hundred years ago.

"Hisa!" he growled.

The old woman's face appeared once more, seemingly more timid now that she had been yelled at for something.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Can you please remove those discusting images from the walls of my castle? Rin is human. And I highly doubt that she appreciates seeing her own kind treated as slaves."

Hisa, from what it seemed like she was trying to do was bow before him, apologized to Rin instantly, and flushed the images away.

Sesshomaru smiled at her as soon as the images were gone and he had mouthed an apology of his own to Rin.

"Thank you, Hisa. You may let us in now."

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Rin blew into her hands as the large door finally shut behind them, and found herself running to the very large fire place in front of a large dog demon statue. Looking around the room, her eyes widened in shock even more.

The floors were made of deep green marble that shined in the candlelight. And from every stone wall was a tapestry of some battle with a red cloth behind it to hide most of the stone. The furniture around the room even had her in awe. There was a large, white sofa next to the fireplace, seemingly untouched by ashes where it took up it's large amount of space. Sesshomaru was looking around, with an odd smile on his face as he looked up at the ceiling.

"What is it?" she asked, now looking above as well.

That's when her jaw dropped.

It was a family portrait of the Inutahshio, a woman with a crescent symbol on her forehead, and Sesshomaru, standing in front of them looking as he once did. Emotionless and cold.

Rin looked at the man she was going to be spending the rest of her life with at that moment, and studied him. As she stood up, she walked over and looked more carefully at his features, trying to see if that lonely child did still dwell in him somewhere. But when he looked at her, with his eyes full of warmth and love beyond anything she thought he could show, her fears and sympathy melted away.

"I guess your not that child I see on the ceiling anymore," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Sesshomaru looked up at the ceiling one last time. And while he kept his gaze fixed on his former self, he found the words he had always wanted to say back when he had been a child.

"I was always alone in those days. Normal children want to play and laugh when they are that young. My father wanted me to do those things. But my mother… all she seemed to care for was me becoming as callous and cold as she was. Power and strength were the only things she wanted me to see. Not love, not friendship, not even what the word 'Family' means." Then, looking back at her, he smiled as he pulled her closer to him. "But, I did learn those things. I learned them through you, my brother, and everyone else. Without you, Rin. I never would have known what I was missing in life," leaning in, his lips barely touched hers. "Thank you."

Sesshomaru pressed his lips against hers in that instant, and Rin could have sworn that the portrait on the ceiling… that Sesshomaru's father was smiling at them. Pulling him closer in her arms, as close as she possibly could, Rin kissed him with all of her heart and soul. She knew that her demon lord had had a very hard childhood, and that love and family had pretty much been a taboo where he had been concerned. But she had been the one to change that for him. And changing something like that in anyone's life was an amazing gift.

She loved this man. Which was why she wanted to be with him always.

"Sesshomaru…"

"Hmm?"

"I love you," she whispered in his ear. Knowing full well anytime she said the words what he would do next.

He spun her around in a small circle in the middle of the room. Rin laughed and held on tightly to his neck. And as he slowed down, he smiled fully at her, letting the warmth of his golden eyes saturate her own hazel brown ones.

"I love you too, Rin. And I wouldn't be me without you."

Rin could feel how much he was holding back the urge to take her. His body had been shaky for a while since they had left the village. So, taking his hand, she coaxed him to sit with her on the large sofa. When she sat down on it, she sighed in relief. It was softer than anything she had ever felt in her entire lifetime. As her knees did not even bend as she pushed herself all the way to the back.

"This was my bed when I was a young pup," Sesshomaru said holding back a laugh as she sank into the many pillows. "My father had it made for me when I was twelve. Since I liked to stay in my demon form more than my human one. I use to always love sleeping by the fire place, it was the only warmth I ever received since my mother never bestowed any on me. And my father was barely ever here, usually mixed up in a war of other demons."

Rin, forcing herself to sit up, grabbed his face in her hands, making him look at her.

"No more talk about the past. This is _our_ night. No one else need be mentioned. Especially if all it does is bring back horrible memories for you."

Staring at her hazel eyes, he found she was right. Tonight, they would become husband and wife in demon ways. Nothing else mattered to him in that moment. Right now, all that mattered was her.

For once, Rin could not read his expression. His mind seemed to be wandering to possibly another memory. The last thing she wanted tonight of all night's was her demon lord to feel sadness of any kind. So, pushing all of her heart into it, she kissed him fiercely.

Being caught off his guard, Sesshomaru fell back into the many pillows. But he did not feel the need to run or possibly attack as Rin's lips brushed against his in a fit of passion he never thought he would see come from her. As his eyes began to close, he wrapped his arm around her tightly, finding peace in her kisses that tasted of sweet fruits and the rain.

Relaxing into the many pillows upon the extremely large couch, Sesshomaru moved his hand up, wishing silently he still had his other arm so he could embrace her fully. But he didn't need two arms to kiss her as he did, didn't need to arms to show her his love, all he needed to do that was use his heart.

Rin relished in the taste of his lips and strange softness of his skin. Her fingers gently grazed the tattoo's of his face slowly, making him shiver beneath her slightly. She still found it hard to believe she was actually with him now. After all the years she had been a child, she at first had been shocked by her feelings for him.

When he had first saved her, she had thought of him as a father figure. Even though he had never shown her that he cared, she knew he secretly did. But it was around the time she had turned sixteen when she had realized she loved him deeply. Sesshomaru had one day smiled at her, and she had felt her heart pull. In that moment, his small smile of encouragement had made her see how much she loved him.

So, after all these years, she finally had his love. Even though it was very fragile and sometimes scary to them both. They knew that no matter what either of them felt, they would share everything together.

"Sesshomaru…," she whispered, finally pulling away. When she looked at him, now seeing how much of a difference there was in his expressions and mostly his eyes, she smiled at him lightly.

He looked up at her, finding himself becoming lost in her undying beauty. Bringing his hand around to touch the side of her cheek which was permanently scarred, he smiled up at her. Gently running his thumb over the tiny raised pink scar, he pulled her back down to kiss him once more.

Rin giggled as she felt his lips against her cheek suddenly. Ever since she had healed from the injury, Sesshomaru had made a point to always kiss it, showing her that no matter what she was indeed beautiful. Allowing her hands to roam over his chest lightly, she found herself wanting him in a way she had wanted him for weeks now. And finally finding the sash at his midsection, she removed the first half of his unusually light Kimono.

As the shirt fell to the floor, Sesshomaru looked at her, smiling devilishly, and kissed a trail down her neck lightly. She lightly moaned as his claws gently scraped against thr fabric over her thighs, and without any warning, he found the only area of her body he had never touched before, and rubbed her gently.

Rin almost thought for a moment that something had gone wrong with her body, as she felt herself suddenly become wet between her legs. But after the many conversations she had had with Kagome over the years, this could be one of two things. One, the bad kind of wet, which Kagome had told her Sango seemed to suffer from quite frequently, or the good kind. And judging from the fact that whatever her demon lord was doing, this was the good kind.

Sesshomaru breathed in the scent of her arousal, and nearly lost his mind. Her natural scent was even stronger than it had been moments before. And the demon of his soul flat out nearly died in heaven from this. Moving the fabrics to the side as best has he could without tearing them to pieces, Sesshomaru touched the skin of her belly lightly, and slowly brought his hand lower. His breath caught as he felt the tiny, soft triangle of hairs between her legs. And the amount of moisture she had down there was shocking to him. Was it because of him? Or was this just normally like this?

"Rin? Did I?..," he started to say.

But his answer was in her eyes, and the amount of pure lust he saw in them made his own arise. This was a new feeling in him that almost scared him. Looking at her more carefully, he found this feeling grow, and pour over him like a wave. His instincts were telling him that this was natural, but his mind was the one in which was confused.

"Please?…. Don't stop," she whimpered pulling herself closer to him. "It hurts when you don't do anything now."

The idea that he was causing her some form of pain made him continue on. But his curiosity was soon going to get the better of him when it came to her. He had never known what a woman's flesh really looked or felt like until now. And to him, Rin's was beyond perfection.

Everything felt so right, and nothing felt like as though nothing could ever be wrong again. He was far more alive with Rin in his arms than he had ever been in his entire lifetime. But whatever she was doing to him internally was starting to effect his thinking. Because he wanted more.

Ripping away the sash that gathered at her waist, Sesshomaru pulled the shredded fabric from her body in one fierce stroke. Without even really noticing the lingerie, he gently pulled the straps down and the panties off in two strokes. Leaving her naked in his arms. She gasped, feeling the air hit her skin so suddenly, but she smiled down at him once she looked into his golden eyes.

"Sesshomaru…," she whispered in his ear.

He froze instantly upon hearing her voice. It was like a siren for him to stop everything and wait. Her voice had more control over him than he was willing to admit. But boy… was it a commanding voice he loved to listen to.

"Yes, mai uruwashii mitsukai?" he whispered back, sending chills down her spine.

Rin never thought he would call her that, not even if they were about to become life mates. But upon hearing him say 'My Beautiful Angel', she absolutely fell into a trance of being freely his. And only his.

Removing the rest of his kimono, Rin found her way to kiss every inch of his skin that she could imagine. And with every taste of his flesh, she felt positively alive and happy. When she went to kiss his fingertips, he stopped her. And the look of fear in his eyes told her why.

Those fingers were full of poison. And no matter what, they always would be.

She almost felt bad for him. Mainly because he always kissed the tips of her fingers. But tonight, she was going to make sure she drove him as close to insanity as he had done to her for weeks now.

So, setting aside his hand, she crawled up his chest slowly, smiling at him as he watched her curiously from where he sat.

Rin had seen Kagome do this a few times over the past few weeks to Inuyasha. And everytime he had purred so to say, like a kitten.

She wondered if she could make her demon lord purr just the same.

Kissing the side of his neck lightly, Rin felt the breath in his body still instantly as she lightly sucked on the flesh. Thinking at first that it was possibly scaring him, she pulled away to look at him. But the fact that his skin had visibly gained far more color than it normally had and his fangs were peaking out from the top of his mouth, told her that he was enjoying this little experiment. So, feeling that it wasn't fair to leave him sitting there like this, she placed her lips back down on his skin and continued to suck a little more in a new area.

Sesshomaru moaned as Rin's lips reached a very sensitive part of his collarbone. And he found himself weakening in her arms. His head spun from every tantalizing suck she gave to his flesh and soon, other parts of is body were aching for her touch.

But he hadn't even played with her yet. At least not a lot.

So, even though it was the last thing on his mind, Sesshomaru gently pushed her away, and into the many pillows.

Rin landed on the softness of the many layers of the couch, and when she looked up and into the eyes of her demon lord, the man she loved more than life itself, Rin found a **very** proud and naked Sesshomau before her.

He quirked an eyebrow at her as she smiled up at him lovingly. Knowing full well she was just being her shy self as she seemed to be around him.

Finally able to take in her beauty, Sesshomaru nearly gasped.

Her skin was as white and creamy as the moon. And her long hair curled and framed her body in a caccoon of softness he'd never imagined it could before. And her eyes simply glowed in the fire's light. Making them shine more colors than he had originally thought they had possesed.

"Rin…"

"Yes?" she asked smiling up at him.

After a moment of him not being able to find the words he so desperately wanted to tell her. Rin, after a little bit of struggle, pushed herself off of the large couch and stood before him, with a defiant look on her face.

"If you're thinking about the past again I won't kiss you for a week," she huffed.

Sesshomaru cracked a smile and chuckled wrapping his arm around her waist.

"You wouldn't be able to hold out on me for that long," he whispered nibbling on the top of her ear.

"Wanna bet?" she moaned, even though it wasn't very threatening in the least.

Sesshomaru gave her a wicked grin as he spun around her and stood behind her. Unfortunalty, Rin had learned after a while how to avoid this little trick and spun around, pushing him back onto the large couch as his form finally began to take shape once more. Sesshomaru looked up at her in shock.

"H-How did y-"

Within seconds of falling on top of him, Rin smiled as she gently rubbed her body against his in a torturous little dance. Sesshomaru could have sworn his body was on fire for her in that instant. And without feeling the need to keep himself at bay any longer, Sesshomaru looked into her eyes, pleading.

The smile faded from her lips as she looked at him suffering beneath her, and she knew it was time. Finding the strength in her soul to do this, Rin straddled his hips a little more, knowing full well that she would most likely feel some pain as she was about to do this for the first time.

Then, as though it were nothing all too stressful, Rin impalled herself on him, fully.

After letting the tiny amount of aching fully escape her body moments later, Rin slowly began the motion, knowing full well Sesshoamru was too weak from holding his demon nature back to do much else.

As his eyes f;lashed from red to gold, Sesshomaru found himself being lost in the movements that were Rin's body. He had no idea what exactly she was doing to him. But everything felt extremely tight and warm around a very certain body part. The odd part was, it was beyond enjoyable for him. And he was loving every minute of watching her above him like a goddess of the night.

Forcing his body to sit up right, Sesshomaru wrapped his solitary arm around her thin waist as he finally took control. He was gentle at first, allowing his 'Angel' to relish in the feelings she had been giving him all this time. And soon, his body moved faster. As he heard Rin scream out and clutch his back in sheer pleasure, Sesshomaru bit down into the flesh of her neck.

Rin's eyes widened as her orgasm exploded into something far more powerful than she ever thought she could imagine. As if her very veins where flooding with ice, she felt the wetness between her legs engulf Sesshomaru as he was inside of her. Her own canines grew in a few short moments, and after she could simply feel his power growing inside of her, she clamped down hard on his neck, tasting the blood of a pure demon as it ran down her throat and into her very soul.

Sesshomaru gasped and held her tighter, finding his own climax reaching him very soon. After everything he had learned from over the many years of his life, this was the moment in which most demons longed for. At least the good ones anyway.

And he was a good demon. At least he had turned into one. And that was thanks to the very woman in his arms, sharing her soul with him.

There were days he wanted to cry, even though it was very girlish and definitely something his mother would have scorned him for, because of how happy his life had turned out to be. He had his brother, Inuyasha. And even though they still had some issues, they did in fact care for each other as family should. He had Kagome for a sister-in-law, and she was always there for him when he needed someone to ask advice on, and now he even had a real mother, Sachi. Even though he had only met her that day, he had a funny feeling he would learn what a real mother was suppose to be like. And he would love every mintue of relearning what other forms of love were.

Because the true love was the one he had with Rin. And it was all he needed to feel alive.

As he roared deeply, feeling his body explode in every direction possible, Sesshomaru slowed down and collapsed into the many pillows behind him. Rin soon follwed and fell onto his chest, breathing just as heavily as he was. As her body shook in his arms, Sesshomaru lazily grabbed a blanket and threw it over them, trying his best to keep her warm where she layed.

Within moments, a coldness spread across both of their bodies. Rin shivered as she saw her breath become like icicles as it left her lips. Sesshomaru pulled her closer, not knowing at all why this was happening to them. But a his neck where she had bit him moments before beganto freeze, he remembered instantly what this was.

Their mating marks were appearing.

"Rin…are you okay?" he said to her in a worried tone.

She nodded in hisarms and snuggled closer, ignoring the pain she felt running throughout her very body as the needles of ice penetrated and molded into her ery soul.

"I'll be fine," she answered him shivering.

Within moments, the icy feeling had left them both. After moving them both closer to the fire, Sesshomaru gently moved her dampened hair away from her face and smiled at her as she layed in his arms. It was normally very hard for a human to survive the mating ritual. But since it had been done before, he had had know idea what it would do to his preacious Rin.

Even though she was very tired, she looked okay. But it was the side of her neck that had him enchanted. And in the icy blue lettering, he found himself smiling as he read the words which their souls had chosen for them.

"Beautiful Lover," he whispered smiling at her.

At first, Rin had no idea what he was saying to her, but as he was touching something very sensitive on her neck did she catch on, and found herself moving some of his hair away from the very spot she had bitten.

'Beautiful Lover' was on the side of his neck in icy blue characters. And she found herself smiling at him as her fingers lightly went over the markings gently.

"Beautiful Lover…," she whispered reading and saying them allowed. When she looked into his golden eyes once more, Rin smiled as she touched the side of his tattooed cheek. "I don't think I could have put it any better myself."

He smiled widly at her and hugged her close, finding it still hard to believe that everything was going so perfectly for him.

He had friends, he had a family, and he now had his mate, Rin.

Holding her closer as she fell asleep in his arms, Sesshomaru gently picked her up and headed for the stairs to his master chamber. It had a larger fireplace there, plus a bed. Feeling that sleep would soon overcome him, he layed her down gently and crawled into bed along side her.

As he drew the covers over them, Sesshomaru smiled as he touched the side of his neck.

'_Beautiful Lover huh? Well I never thought I'd have this on my neck for the rest of my life,'_ he thought as he looked over at his sleeping bride. She curled around him in a way that reminded him of a kitten. The way she had always done as a child. But he found himself smiling, and for once, not pulling away from her warmth. '_Well, maybe it won't be so bad to live with. Especially if I have you by my side.'_

"I love you, Rin," he whispered as he drew her closer to him.

Rin sighed in his arms and huddled closer into him, taking from him every ounce of warmth she could find.

"I love you too, Sesshomaru…," she whispered sleepily to him as she hooked her head under his chin.

Sesshomaru smiled. And slowly fell asleep. But before he even could, he found himself wondering, how was she going to react to everything now that they were mated? She would have his lifespan, along with his speed and strength.

_'Oh well,'_ he thought smiling to himself. They would just have to see how she felt about that tomorrow, when they would be playing all day long. And whatever that white thing had been that she had been wearing underneath her kimono, well, she'd have to wear it again tomorrow, when he could fully enjoy whatever it was.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Do you need any help? I mean you are still wearing that dress Kagome?" Inuyasha asked as Kagome struggled to reach the top of the well.

"No, no, no I'm fine. I just can't reach the last- ah, there we go," she said as she pulled herself over the edge and reached for his hand.

As Inuyasha helped his wife out of the well, Kagome nearly tripped as she finally found the ground beneath her feet. Being quick, Inuyasha caught her around the waist, catching an odd scent coming off of her skin as she finally righted herself in his arms.

"Kagome?" he said raising an eyebrow at her. "Something's **very **different about your scent."

Kagome paled instantly, almost too quickly for her husband to catch, but quickly enough for him to press the matter.

"What did you do?" he asked kindly.

"N-Nothing," she stuttered innocently. Taking her ballet flats off, she started rushing off towards her friends hut, hoping to all things holy that those two hadn't started their _own_ mating ritual yet. "Come on, I need to go and pick something up at Sango and Miroku's!"

"Hey! I was talking to- ah hell, wait up Kagome!" he shouted now following her close behind.

As they reached the tiny hut only a few yards away from the town, Kagome slowly let her dress down and entered, finding her friends in a very awkward position.

Miroku was on his stomach with his hands pressed into his back by his wife, whom was on his back smiling devilishly at him.

"Now, husband, how many times do I have to tell you that you can't-"

"Look! Kagome and Inuyasha are back!" he shouted as he caught sight of the two standing in the doorway.

As Sango tore her gaze away from him, her body was flipped onto her back, and as she stared into the warm amythst eyes she always seemed to get lost in, she found herself glaring into them like she use to do so many years ago.

"Hi guys," Miroku said looking at him friends, clearly out of breath.

"Cheater," Sango hissed at him.

Pretending he hadn't heard her at all. Miroku released her arms and sat up. Taking a sip from his tea, he offered some to his other friends as they sat down.

The four of them must have sat there for about an hour just talking. It almost seemed like old times once again. Just the four of them, minus the kit. And the strange part was that, none of them had truly changed at all.

The only thing that had changed was that they were no longer ignoring their feelings for each other. And Miroku could not even begin to describe how thankful he was for that.

As Kagome sighed, Inuyasha drapped an arm over her shoulder, completely engulfed in her beauty.

"Well, guys, I think it's time we left," he said picking her up in his arms.

Miroku nodded at his longtime best friend and smiled seeing Kagome so peaceful in his arms.

"If I were you, my friend, I'd take my time in getting to wherever you are going tonight. She seems really exhausted from the events of today."

Inuyasha smiled as Kagome snuggled into his chest in her sleep. It was true, today really had been an exaughsting day for her, so he couldn't hold it against her in the least if she needed a little sleep right at the moment.

"Yeah," he said still looking at her. When he finally turned to look at them, there was a large smile spread across his face. "So, we'll see you in a few days?"

"Of course," Sango said leaning into her husband's arms. "And let her know personally from me how her present went over with you."

"Present?" both men said with curiosity in their voices.

But Sango only smiled at her husband, letting him know that she also had a gift for him as well. And as their friends left the hut, she pounced on her husband, and gave him another toothy grin.

"You cheated before. So, guess what that means?"

He smiled widly at her as he flipped her over once more, only this time managing to pin her securely to the floor. Sango giggled after finally being trapped underneath him. But she still smiled up at him, defiantly.

"And, what should I ask does that mean, my dearest Sango?" he whispered as his face inched closer to her own.

Feeling as though there was no reason not to let him win just this once, Sango kissed him fully, and found herself getting lost in his perfect warm lips. Even though she hated to admit it. She loved everything about this man. From his eyes to his strange personality, even down to his lecherous habits. But that was what love was right? Loving someone for who they were. And boy did she ever love him for being just himself.

Feeling as though his control on her had been long enough now. Sango snapped out of her dream world and pulled him down upon her. As he finally rested against her, she rolled over, placing him beneath her. She pinned his arms above his head, and smiled down victoriously as he struggled to get out of her hold.

"Don't even bother," she said giving him a smile worthy of a chesire cat. "You know I'm stronger than you anyday."

Slumping on the floor in defeat, Miroku smiled up at her moments later like the little devil he was and rocked his hips a little.

Sango's face instantly turned red as a strange feeling overtook her body from where she sat on him. And for a while it almost bothered her, but the heat died down as soon as it had started.

'_What the hell was that?'_ she wondered.

But before she could even question him on what he had done before hand. Miroku arched his body slowly, grinding himself into that very spot that had made her entire body flush.

She slumped forward onto him as his movement ended, and found herself looking into his eyes of amethyst. At first, Sango had no idea why her body was acting so strange, but after looking into her husbands eyes, she seemed to understand exactly what he was saying to her.

_Flashback…_

_She had been watching after him for most of the day. Hoping and praying that he really would survive his injuries from the final battle with Naraku. Everything had been fine only a few days ago. Kohaku had been alive, her chest had not been maimed or destroyed by the poisonous talons of which Naraku had thrown at her, and Miroku had been able to use both of his arms._

_"If you keep gloating like this, darling, then it's going to get to you eventually," he whispered trying to sit up._

_When he had fallen back onto the futon she had made for him, Sango rolled her eyes. What was it about this man that she loved so much?_

_As if sensing what she was thinking, Miroku merely smiled at her and winked._

_Well, it couldn't have been that._

_"Sango, whats wrong?"_

_"I guess I'm just worried is all. I mean," she sighed grabbing a wet rag and wiping it over his forhead. "Well, how are we going to do this? I mean, I'm not exactly marriage material…. I mean, look at me?" she said motioning her hands over her bandages. "I'm not a beautiful girl. Not anymore anyways…. So, how do I know that…"_

_"That I won't stop loving you? Is that what your scared of?" he asked softly._

_When she didn't say anything for a moment, Miroku sighed. Maybe asking her right out on the battlefeild to marry him hadn't been the best choice he had ever made. But it had been what he had felt in his heart to do at that very moment in time. _

_"Sango," he said in a stern voice, which was very unlike him. "Come down her please?"_

_Sango inched her face down right above his,wondering what he was going to say to her. But in that split second in time where she was about to say something to him, he leaned his head up and kissed her passionately._

_Or at least as passionately as a man stuck on the floor for the next few days could get._

_When he finally allowed his head to touch the soft pillow once more. Miroku gave her a warm smile._

_"I love you. And I want to marry you for who you are. And if there is one thing I know I can do. Is make you feel as beautiful as you truly are with whatever I have in my possession. Be it my heart, my soul, or anything else you desire."_

_Sango was startled by his words. And found her eyes beginning to blur as she stared at him._

_"Re-Really?" she asked in a shaky voice. "Do you really mean that Miroku?"_

_He only smiled at her with his classic, devilish grin. But when he finally spoke, Sango rolled her eyes and began to laugh at him. But felt better knowing what he meant._

_"Of course I do. And I'll prove it to you on our wedding night."_

_End Flashback…_

And here they were. Just like he had promised. But what had her mind buzzing most of all, was that she felt as though she was forgetting something.

Then, looking into his eyes, and feeling as though the color mean't something to her more than what it originally had, she pushed him off of her and ran into the next room.

"I'll be **right** back! Do **not** go anywhere!" she said as she slammed the sliding doors behind her.

Miroku sat there, blinking his eyes.

_'What was that all about?'_ he wondered.

He could hear her rustling around with something in the other room. But figured she was most likely just changing out of her wedding robes into something more comfortable. All those layers would have driven him insane by now if he had been her.

So, feeling the need to set the mood a little, Miroku shut all of the curtains, thanks to Kagome, that were all made of a strange deep purple cloth she called flannel and hopped onto the the very large bed made of a strange foam Kagome had brought over for them as well.

Taking off his robes as he pulled back the fine deep purple silk covers, Miroku heard the sliding doors begin to open. And as quickly as he could, he drapped one of the sheets over his body as Sango opened the door. And his jaw hit the floor the moment he saw her.

Sango had never really been the type of woman to wear barely anything. So seeing her in a tiny, skimpy, yet _very_ sexy little purple silk, form fitting night gown, had him drooling where he laid. Her skin was beyond anything his eyes had seen before. Perfect and slightly muscular around her arms and legs, and from what he could see her stomach was very tight and slightly defined through the see threw mesh.

Sango wrapped her arms around her chest, trying her best to hide the only other hideous scare that marked her body. But Miroku shook his head and stood up after a moment. As he walked over to her, he gently removed her hands and held them tightly in his own down at their waists.

"I want to see all of you," he whispered smiling at her. He inched his lips closer to hers as she seemed to be feeling afraid once more. But he placed his forhead against hers and smiled. "_My_ beautiful Sango," he whispered.

That seemed to bring her own courage back a little, because she kissed him feircly, sending them both backwards and onto the bed.

Miroku landed and chuckled, knowing full well how she had been feeling for days now. Mainly because he had been just as curious. His hands explored everything they possibly could, and at first, he missed the sensation of her slapping him silly like she use to.

But this was just as good.

And everything was working out perfectly for them tonight.

As Sango straddled his hips once more, she found herself feeling something she hadn't in a long time.

Peace.

Normally, or at least way back in the past. Being this close to anyone was strictly off her mind. After losing everyone that had meant something to her, like her entire family. The last thing she had wanted was to fall in love with someone.

But Miroku had opened her heart again. Like Inuyasha and Kagome had. And nothing could really change her mind once her heart was set in stone on something.

Even though he had been a pain at first, always gropping her, Miroku had always opened her eyes and shown her things she never noticed about herself. And even though he was, at the time, destined to die young. He always wanted to see everyone else around him happy. Especially her.

Without everyone else, she would have most likely lost herself to revenge and hate. But Inuyasha and Kagome had aught her friendship. And Miroku, had taught her how to love again.

Without those three people, especially Miroku, she would have most likely died after her family had been stolen from her. No doubt about it.

So, feeling as though her husband had been below her for enough time, Sango rolled over and laid next to him, smiling.

"What? Is the game over already?" he asked with a grin on his face.

She laughed and smiled once more. But felt the need to talk was far beyond er with how happy she truly was with him by her side. Loosening his ponytale, which he had surprisingly let grow a few more inches, Sango gently pulled on a few thick chunks of hair that hung in the front, and whispered the only thing she could think of saying to him in that moment.

"Shut up and kiss me."

He didn't need to be told twice by this woman what to do. Pulling her closer to him, Miroku lavished her in kisses that started to trail down her neck in a straight line. And as he reached her long scar, he found himself wondering why she thought that this would make her so undesirable to him?

Maybe it had been because the only real mark he had had from the battle was a small scar over his elbow from where his bone had popped out. But other than that, there were no signs he had been anywhere near a battlefield that day.

Taking great care to keep his promise to her, he gently kissed the slightly puffy scar, hoping that she wouldn't yell at him or run away.

Sango felt his lips brushing against her long and obviously there scar, and found herself wanting to cry at remembering his promise to her. He hadn't just been saying that after all.

Finding the strength not to shed her tears, Sango allowed him to continue. Her kin began to ache in areas she never thought it would as he gently pulled down the top half of her nightshirt. But then as his lips wrapped around her nipple did she nearly jump.

Her body felt as though it were on fire. But it wasn't the painful kind at all. And after his hands started traveling lower did the fire grow. She moaned lightly as she pulled at his hair. Wondering how on earth he knew what he was doing. But he had sworn left and right that he was a virgin, just like her. So maybe she'd find out from him later how he knew this would get her going crazy for him.

Miroku was thankful that whatever he was doing to her was working. Everything he had ever known was that women should be treated like flowers. That they were delicate, lush, full of beauty. But Sango outraked any woman he had ever known. So she was his rose. And the only one he would ever touch like this.

Pulling the tiny garments away from her body, Miroku nearly forgot how to breathe as he took in every inch of her body.

Even though the scar had changed her personality a little. He found it just to be as beautiful as the rest of her. Her breasts were round and small, and her nipples held the fires light in a ways he had never dreamed they would. Her curves were lush and undeniably perfect. Nothing on her was out of place. And seeing the small triangle of dark curls between her legs made his heart race.

This was really happening.

Sango looked at her husband's body and felt her pulse rise. She had ever truly seen Miroku in his splendor. His muscles were defined against his tan skin, casting shadows along the muscles across his midsection and chest in the light. And as her eyes ventured lower, she found her eyes were bulging at seeing what he use to boast about so much.

Well, at least he hadn't been lying about _that_ particular thing between his legs. Like most men seemed to do.

Feeling as though he had scared her enough. Miroku slowly made his way towards her, crawling on his hands and knees. She smiled warmly at him as he finally reached her lips, kissing them fully with his own. And as he wrapped his arms around her thin yet strong form, he found himself wondering.

How was he going to do this without hurting her?

As if sensing the burning question in her husband's mind, Sango stroked his face lovingly and asked what was wrong. When he looked at her weakly. His answer warmed her heart another twenty degrees.

"I don't want to hurt you."

"Well, it's suppose to hurt the first time. At least for me it's suppose to. So… ," she said now **really** thinking about what was between his legs. "Just, take it slow. And if I say go for it. Then do it."

"Are you sure?" he asked her worried.

After a moment, she nodded. Smiling at him as best she could for how nervous she was.

"I'm sure."

It may have been the most painful ten minutes of her life, but they had managed to do it. As her body stretched around him, Miroku stayed as still as he could manage. Just to make sure that she wasn't suffering all too much from him being inside of her.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked, seeing the strain in her eyes.

"No, just give me a few more minutes to adjust to this," she said as she shifted her hips a little. Hoping that maybe that would help.

As they sat there, Miroku felt as though maybe this wan't a very good idea. She was in pain, and it was because of him for once. He didn't like this. So, he figured they could always try another time. But right as he was about to leave her body, Sango sighed. And relaxed her head back into the pillows with a smile.

"Okay, I'm ready to continue."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"But Sango-"

"Miroku," she growled in warning to him. "Don't make me hit you on our wedding night."

Now that was his Sango. So, feeling as though the little threat was all he needed to be sure she was alright. Miroku began slowly, allowing her to feel everything as slowly as possible.

Seconds turned to minutes, and with every stroke he delivered into her body, he quickened himself. Sango moaned his name as she dug her nails into his back. Crying out as she felt explosion after explosion of pleasure encase her body.

As about an hour ran around them. Miroku's body finally shuddered into hers. And as his body covered in sweat fell upon hers, they both panted in unison as the tremors from their first experience together danced around them. Sango wrapped her legs around him as she kicked the blanket off of them. Finding it far too hot to be underneath right at the moment.

As their breathing finally became regulated. Miroku smiled down at his wife as he lifted his head to look at her. The amount of love in his eyes for her was unfathomable.

"I love you, Sango," he whispered.

Sango smiled up at the man she had fallen in love with so many years ago. And wondered how her life could have possibly been any greater without him in it. Sure, she had lost her family. But she had found the others and Miroku. And she would never trade any of them for anything.

She had found the love of her life. Nothing, and no one, could ever replace that.

"I love you too, Miroku," she said hugging him close.

For what seemed like an eternity, they sat there holding each other. Not knowing what to do next. That is until Sango got a wicked grin of her own, and flashed it at her husband knowingly.

"So, what else can we do tonight? I'd like to know what other ways we can have some fun before everyone else returns in thre days time."

Miroku's eyes sparkled with mischief as he grinned at her. And after his lips were mere inches from hers did he utter words that would keep them up all night long.

"Ever heard of the Kama Sutra?"

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"Kagome, wake up. Baby, we're here," Inuyasha whispered to his sleeping bride as he finally reached their destination.

Kagome yawned at hearing the soft voice of her husband calling her out of her dream. She was thankful he had let her actually sleep on the way to wherever they were going. She had had no idea how tired she really was. But as she looked around, she gasped.

They were in a large tree high above the ground. And all she could see above her were the stars shining in the sky.

Looking around at her knew surroundings. Kagome found a large bed in the center formed into a circle. It looked very comfortable and unbelievably soft as it was completely covered in blankets from her time and from this time as well. She wondered to herself how he had managed to pull this off. But she figured he had most likely done this weeks ago and covered everything protectively in the rain.

As he set her down, Kagome walked around the platform around the bed and looked down.

'_Wow, we must be close to two hundred feet up. Maybe I should back away from this spot so Inuyasha doesn't have a heart attack,'_ she thought wisely backing up and into the arms of the very man she was considering.

"So, do you like it?" he asked resting his chin on the top of her head.

Looking around once more, Kagome smiled.

"Yes, but what exactly is this place? It's absolutely beautiful."

Inuyasha didn't know exactly how to answer that question. But figured he'd settle on the best words he could think of in that instant.

"This… was my home."

Kagome's eyes widened as she looked around once more. And noticed a few small toys tucked away in an old hollowed tree limb. Her eyes saddened as she realized that this was the place where Inuyasha had spent most of his life hiding from other demons and humans. And the place where no one else had ever gone.

Not even Kikyo.

"Inuyasha…"

"I wanted, to share this place with you. Not because it was where I spent most of my life hiding. But because it truly is beautiful," he said pointing up at the leaves of the tree. "Look."

When Kagome did as he asked, she gasped once more.

Fireflies. Millions and millions of fireflies were glowing in the dark. The tree itself looked like the stars above, only within the tree. The colors were ranging from yellows, to greens, to reds, and in even some spots, blues.

"Inuyasha… this is so…," was all her voice could say. She was utterly speechless by this.

"I know," he whispered in her ear. "And that's why I wanted to share this place with you."

Kagome turned around in arms and smiled up at him. The flowers that still rested in her hair glowed even brighter as the lights softly shifted in the trees.

Inuyasha smiled, kissing her as the twinkling began to grow. This was the best day of his life. And he wondered all the time, how had he gotten so lucky to have so much?

He had his brother, he had his friends, and he had Kagome.

All things he never thought he would have in this lifetime.

But, looking into the chocolate depths that held so much love and life, he smiled finding his answer.

Kagome.

She had been the one to save him from himself so long ago. And she had even helped his heart heal over time from all the betreyal he had faced in his life. Without her, he would most likely still be asleep under the Sacred Tree. Trapped and waiting for someone to save him.

As his lips melted into hers, Kagome found her soul smiling. This was how everything was suppose to be, and nothing would ever take her happy ending away from her again.

Truthfully, she did feel sad that Kikyo had given up her life to save her. She may have been bitter and full of hate. But Kikyo had every right to be. She had been killed for such a petty issue. And she had lost everything her heart had held so dear over the Sacred Jewel.

In truth, besides all of the negative things that had controlled her second life, Kikyo had been a good person.

And she had proven that to Kagome by her own self sacrifice.

Inuyasha was about to tear her dress off. Whatever that smell had been earlier on her skin had finally made it's own reappearance. And whatever it was that she was hiding, he wanted to know about it.

"You have two minutes before I rip that dress off. I want to know what you were hiding from me earlier, Baby," he whispered softly letting her go and, out of habit, turned around.

Kagome blinked at his back and found herself smiling. At least his old mentality was giving her a chance to surprise him. After unzipping the corset and sending the gown to the floor in a thump, Kagome quickly pulled the little red straps over her shoulders, and fluffed her hair lightly.

When she tapped on his shoulder, Inuyasha slowly turned around. And what he saw before him had him drooling like a dog. Literally.

Kagome's body was fit snugly into a tiny, red satin and sheer nighty. And the last time he had ever seen something like this was a few weeks ago in a magazine she had had on her dresser. Only this time he was seeing the sexy little nuber he had been imagining her in **on** her.

The loose cups that held her breasts behind them were made of satin. Hiding the semi large swells from his view with a simple, small bow in the center cut lowly. And as he took in the rest of her he found his own heart race increasing by the second. Attached to the cups was a long flowing sheer skirt that ended right at her hips and split in the center, exposing some of her white creamy stomach to him. And her undies were the same as the top, satin. Only they were a lot smaller than normal underwear for Kagome.

She reminded him of a blooming red rose as she stood there before him. And she was just as, maybe even more beautiful than any rose he had ever seen.

Her pale skin shined in the light from the stars and fireflies as though it were meant to glow. And her hair waved around her in the slight breeze brushing through the trees. He almost wondered if she was an angel sent to him. But as he looked into her eyes of melted chocolate, he realized she was the life he had so longed for in a living, breathing form before him.

But that scent was still clinging to her skin. And whatever it was, he wanted to find out.

So, feeling as though it would just ruin the mood to just flat out ask her. Inuyasha gently ran his claws along the fabric, taking in the simple pleasure of feeling her shiver from his touch. He wanted to explore her more than he already had a few times. And anytime he did, he became lost in her every soft curve and scent.

"This may not have been what I expected, but I do like this present in case you were wondering," he said brushing his lips against hers, making her whimper in his arms. "But I want the rest of you more than ever now."

Kagome sighed as his lips trailed kisses down her jaw line tenderly, and as his lips moved to her neck, she gasped. Inuyasha smiled as he ran his tounge around in circles, pressing lightly in the one spot that was making her heart race. Slowly dragging his fingers over her breasts to the tiny bow at the center, Inuyasha gently pulled on one string as his other hand carefully grasped her left breast, sending her into a strange kind of trance as his fingers gently teased her flesh.

Kagome's head fell back as the sensations overtook her. And right as her knees were about to buckle, Inuyasha wrapped his free arm around her securely. Making sure that she didn't escape him while he played.

But Kagome for once wasn't going to allow him to just be the one playing, and so, finding the strength to lift her hands to the top of his head, she began to rub his ears as he kissed her lips and tickled her skin with his hands. After a few moments, upon hearing the low growl like purr rumbling in his chest, Kagome smiled against his lips.

Inuyasha pressed her even closer to his body, almost feeling defeated by the only weapon she had ever really used on him. That is until her hands moved around to his robes, and she untied the knot he had made in his red firerat kimono. His breath caught against her lips as she ran her nails down his back harshly. And even through the small amount of pain he was feeling from it felt odd and tingly, it sent chills down his very spine.

Kagome smiled at seeing his surprise, and was glad that he liked to be scratched. But within moments of doing it a second time, he moaned gently nipped at her lips playfully. She returned the favor. Only at the last second, she decided to suck on his bottom lip.

And that had been his breaking point.

As he hastily began taking off the rest of his shirt hand trying to remove his pants did Kagome comply and remove her own garments as well. Before her panties hit the floor, his lips were on hers once more, passionately kissing her with ever fiber of his being.

Kagome thought that at this point, with how much they had been teasing and torturing each other that being suttle and sweet was not to even be bothered with. Because they both had one thing on their minds right now. And they had been struggling with those very same feelings and emotions since they were teenagers.

Falling back on the massive bed, Inuyasha kissed every inch of her skin furiously, tasting it in small amounts as he went lower. When he finly reached what he had been dying to taste for weeks now, he gasped in awe.

No hair. None at all in fact.

Her skin was smoothe and far beyond soft as he gently ran his fingers over the tiny folds. And when he pressed her legs farther apart, the smell of her arousal nearly knocked him out. It was her scent. And it was stronger than it had been at the wedding only a few hours before.

Feeling grateful that his son was five hundred years in the future for the next few days, Inuyasha gently parted the tiny folds encasing what he knew to look for, and once he saw he slightly swollen pink nub, he began to lick it.

Kagome gasped and made a fist in his hair as her body was wracked with sensations she'd never felt before. Moaning his name, she began to feel something building up inside her like an electric current. And a few moments later, her mind nearly shattered as she felt a strong wave of pleasure rush throughout her entire body.

As Inuyasha tasted her, he found he was in heaven. She reminded him of honey and melons. And the taste only increased when her legs had begun to shake. When she had screamed out his name moments later, his mouth had been flooded wih her taste. And he found himself enjoying licking her up.

"Inuyasha! Please?!"

Well, he may have wanted to play more, but Kagome sure wasn't having any of that. Licking his lips clean, he slowly crawled up her body like a predator, knowing full well how ready they both were for this.

She looked so beautiful lying there beneath him, and he smiled when her eyes lightened at seeing him there in front of her once more. Hunching down slightly, he pulled her into his arms and cradled her head in his hands, finding nothing more beautiful then her looking into his eyes at that very moment.

Kagome ran her hands up and down his back, sending chills across his skin in little spurts. He looked so hungry and ready for her that she almost wanted to tease him back the way he had her. But she couldn't wait any longer at the moment. So, setting herself up a little more comfortably, Kagome pulled him down so she could kiss him once more. And as their lips touched, Inuyasha drove himself into her.

She wanted to scream from the sheering pain she felt inside her. But held back. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel sorry for something that was natural. But one ting was for sure. It was definitely going to take her a minute or two to stretch.

Inuyasha's mouth nearly hung open as he was encased by her body. He felt like at though he was going to pop from everything being so tight. But it felt really good. Which was the odd part. But from the look in Kagome's eyes, he probably should have done this a lot slower.

The idea of removing himself had crossed his mind. But his wife would most likely kill him if he did. So, he figured for once he'd wait, as long as it took, for her to get comfortable. Because he couldn't do anything as long as she was in pain. He could never forgive himself for hurting her, and their mating wouldn't be as solid or strong if he moved right now.

Everything depened on her now. That's how he had been brought up by his mother. And she had told him that if he ever did find someone he loved enough to marry and do this with, then it would be on **her** terms when she was ready to continue.

It may have been more than twenty minutes until Kagome's face no longer contorted in the pain she was feeling. As her body finally managed to stretch enough to fit him comfortably. When she looked into her husband's eyes, she saw the hurt he was feeling for not being so gentle with her as he probably should have. But she was fine now, and she wanted to continue.

So, giving him a gentle kiss as reassurance, Kagome smiled and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

Feeling relieved that she was okay, Inuyasha made the decision to go slower this time around, and found a gentle rhythm as she sighed in his arms.

Because it was starting to get slightly cold out, and being so high up in the tree Inuyasha had at one point called his home, he grabbed one of the red blankets Kagome's mother had given him a while back and threw it over them. The soft fabric stuck to his skin as he picked up momentum and began to sweat.

Kagome could feel her body building up once more as she clutched to Inuyasha's body in pure bliss. Every wave that ran through her felt like as though it were stronger than the last one. And everything felt so magical as she stole a look up at the sky.

She smiled as she returned her gaze to her husband. And found herself pushing his long silver hair away from his face so she could truly look at him. He was so beautiful. And she was grateful he was never going t change for her sake.

That is until his markings appeared on his face and his fangs started to grow.

Kagome gasped. But she noticed that his eyes weren't changing to red for once. Maybe this had something to do with their mating? Maybe.

At least she hoped so.

Just as her worries disappeared, Kagome screamed as another wave hit her, sending her over the egde for momets on end. Her body began to glow a very faint, and possibly unoticable pink light, giving Inuyasha the few split seconds to realize what was happening.

Their bodies were getting ready for the mating marks. Which was why he felt so powerful and strong above her.

As Kagome felt another wave hit her in a rush, she screamed his name loudly and brought her body up to clutch to his. Inuyasha wrapped an arm around her waist as he slowly slid down lower into the bed with her. As he felt her body shudder a few more times around him, he felt his own powerful blast about to spill into her.

Moving his hair to the other side away from Kagome's face, he bent down and bit the side of herneck, hard.

Kagome screamed as her orgasm and the pain from Inuyasha biting her mixed together and formed a strange energy in her soul. But she found her own canines beginning to throb moments later, and once she felt the tension in his body fully consume him, Kagome snapped her own set of fangs down onto his neck, making him roar as he moved faster in her.

Inuyasha could have sworn he'd seen firworks in that moment Kagome had clamped down hard on his neck. Feeling her energy and life rushing into him from where his own mouth rested on her, he found that both sides of his soul felt at peace having the woman they truly loved bonded to them in both customs. His human half had married her as a human, and his demon half had taken her as it's life mate.

Everything felt perfect. Absolutly perfect.

As he unclamped himself from her, she did the same. Licking at the raw wouds on her neck, she relished in what they had just done.

They were truly bonded forever.

Husband and wife, and now…Mates.

"Kagome licked at his wounds, hoping that maybe she could possibly slow down the bleeding a little as he continued to take deep, long breaths as he layed on her. But after all she seemed to do was make them flow even more, she decided that his demon blood could heal the wound for him.

Without any warning, the side of her neck began to burn. And she could tell the same was happening to Inuyasha, by his sudden groan of surprise. Feeling the fire flood her entire body, she held onto her huband for strength not to scream, and surprisingly, he seemed to be doing the same as well.

Whatever this was, it felt as though it were engulfing the entire left side of their necks. Kagome let out a low whimper as another wave of fire raced through her, and Inuyasha held her tight feeling the same thing.

After what seemed like forever, the fire and pain finally died away, leaving the couple to pant and check each other over in the first rays of light.

As the sun came up, Kagome gasped seeing about a four inch long and two inch wide mark on her husband's next. Touching it lightly, Kagome tried her best to read the ruins across the side of his neck, and found she had no idea what they said at all. When she looked to Inuyasha, who had only moments ago read what hers said, she found herself staring at him with an odd expression on his face. It was a mixture of joy and happiness and shock.

"Inuyasha?" she said touching the side of his face. He seemed to be on another planet at the moment, so she tapped his cheek lightly. When he finally shook out of his stupor, Kagome pointed to the side of her neck. "What does it mean?"

Inuyasha smiled and gently ran his fingers over the markings on her neck. He still couldn't believe they had een given this marking. It was the rarest of them all from what he had heard about over the many years he had been a child. But as he reread the ancient lines once more, Inuyasha smiled broadly at her, as he finally said what their markings meant.

"Truest Love… it mean's we are truly soul mates, Kagome. And we have the strongest bond out of pretty much anyone in the universe," he said hugging her close to him. "I love you, Kagome."

Kagome smiled warmly at him as the sun finally rose and caused the stars to fade away. She really had been right in thinking they were meant to be together.

Without any warning, thew tree limbs started to fold inwards and form a huge caccoon around them, blocking out the sun. Kagome looked around, a little frightened at first. But Inuyasha's chuckles made her relax almost instantly.

"What's going on?"

"This is an enhanted night tree. It opens only at night, and closes like your flowers in the morning. Don't worry, we can still get out. But I think we need to get some sleep," he said yawning.

Kagome followed suit and yawned as well. Snuggling into the many covers beside him, she smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips. And right as she was about to drift off to sleep, Kagome pulled herself right up to his er, knowing full well that he would hear her.

"I love you too, Inuyasha."

And with that said, Kagome fell asleep, safely wrapped in Inuyasha's arms.

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**YES!!!!**

**I DID IT!!!**

**43 PAGES LONG!!! **

**WOOHOO!!!**

**Okay, now I want A LOT of reviews for this baby!**

**Toodles,**

**Me**

**: P**


	8. Chapter 7: New Everything

_Chapter 7: New Everything_

As the sun flickered across her eyelids lightly, Kagome stirred in her sleep, causing Inuyasha to awake instantly. As he looked down at her, he couldn't help but feel his pride swell at seeing the red mating mark tattoo on her neck. He was still in shock they had received one of the best markings in recorded history. And he still had no idea how he had ever become so lucky. But he was thankful none the less.

Carefully sliding out of her arms, Inuyasha jumped down from the large tree and started running through the thickly settled woods. As he jumped in the large pond only a few hundred yards away, he let the cold water saturated his skin, waking him fully instantly.

Diving underneath, he looked around at the bottom of the sandy bottom, thinking maybe he could surprise his bride with something to eat. Then again, he knew Kagome wasn't up for eating fish so early in the morning. Actually, after last night, he had a feeling she might just want to lie around all day long. Or make love a few more times today. Which he would gladly do with her in a heartbeat.

He was still shocked at how everything had gone the day before, and now that they were officially bound in both customs, he knew no one would ever try to take her from him. At least if anyone did try, they would most likely lose their life, and there was nothing Kagome would be able to do in order to stop him if he ever got that upset.

As he looked up at the light pink and orange morning sky, he jumped out of the water, shook himself off dry, and ran back to the large tree. As he found the opening, since it's branches enclosed around itself during the daytime, Inuyasha snuck back into the many pillows and blankets with his wife and life mate. In her sleeping state, Kagome snuggled right back into his arms. He smiled looking down at her.

Minus her snoring, she was so beautiful when she was asleep.

"Where did you go?" she asked sleepily with her eyes still closed.

Inuyasha chuckled as he pulled her in tighter.

"Just took a quick dip in the pond not to far from here. I use to do it all the time."

"Oh…," she yawned. "Well, guess what?"

"Hmm?"

"If you think you're going back to bed Mr. … Then you've got another thing coming," she said with a slyness in her voice that made him shiver.

Without any warning, Kagome quickly rolled over onto him and pinned his hands down near his head with her own. As her delicate fingernails gently scrapped at his wrists, he growled in approval.

Then again, so did _other _things.

"I take it someone's in the mood to have some fun?" Inuyasha whispered in her human ears lightly, causing a set of shivers to run down her very own spine.

"You could say that," she giggled looking in his eyes once more.

But this time when Inuyasha looked into her eyes, he didn't simply see the deep chocolate he'd known for so long. Something was very, very different.

That's when he noticed the gold rings in the center of each eye. It almost reminded him of the sun how the colors seemed to burst in them, and judging from the way she was looking at him now, he had a feeling she had no idea what the mating had done to her.

"Uh, Kagome," he said, maybe a little afraid of how she would react. "It uh, it looks like the mating last night did change something about you."

Pulling back a little shocked at what he had said, Kagome looked about herself quickly. The idea that something was drastically different with her did bother her, but she had no idea what it could possibly be. Looking down at her husband, she felt the need to instantly shrink away from him, but his hands stopped her from moving as he looked into her eyes with all the love in the world. And it was only for her.

"Your eyes… they almost look like mine," he whispered softly to her. Bringing his hand up to her cheek, Inuyasha gently stroked the soft flesh and smiled at her. "They remind me of the sun first thing in the morning. Just starting to shine and yet, still as bright as they've always been."

She couldn't help but melt and smile at him. But she was still worried. What if people in her time noticed the difference? How exactly would she explain her eyes being different all of the sudden? Then, a thought popped in her mind and mad her almost giggle.

Colored contacts, she'd be perfectly fine with her new eyes. Mainly because either no one would ever notice, or, she could always use that excuse.

Now that she looked around, she could tell there was a major difference in her sight. She could see past the branches and into the tiny areas where the limbs had not covered. Even though in this protective, dark, ball as she thought of it as, she could see fairly well, and now she wondered what other little things she had gained from her hubby last night.

Flicking her tongue around inside her mouth, she was shocked to feel two sharper points that hadn't been there before. Biting lightly on her lip, she could tell that her two canines were slightly longer, and now most likely fangs. Which she thought was pretty cool. She'd always loved Inuyasha's, and now she had a pair of her very own.

"What?" Inuyasha said looking at her with confusion all over his face.

Smiling down at him with her mouth closed, Kagome gave him a sultry look as she gently ran her hands up his chest.

"I think I'm a little more like you now than even you thought," she whispered now smiling with her fangs exposed.

Inuyasha's mouth opened in shock as he saw the tiny feminine fangs his wife now had. His heart began to race at an alarming rate as he wondered what else she now possesed from him. Looking her up and down, he smiled thinking of a few interesting ways to find out.

"Hey, Kagome."

"Hmm?"

Without any warning, Inuyasha rolled over, pinning Kagome beneath him. Looking up at him with shock in her new eyes, she growled softly in annoyance as she tried to push him up and off of her. But when she found she couldn't, Inuyasha laughed lightly, as he began to nibble on her neck.

"Looks like you didn't get my strength or speed," he whispered as he continued his assault on her neck lightly.

Kagome growled louder, but it suddenly turned into a purr as she felt his lips press against her weak spot on her neck, right over her mating mark. Inuyasha smiled as he gently dropped kisses over her bond with him. He was happy she hadn't gotten all of his demonic traits. At least he knew he could still feel like a man and protect her the way he always had.

But he hadn't expected Kagome's own form of retaliation.

Arching her body into his, Kagome moaned lightly as he dropped one last kiss on her mating mark. His body froze above hers as he felt the urge for her grow the way it had the night before. That's when he knew how badly he wanted her again.

But he was afraid. She had been in pain last night, he knew that. What if he hurt her again?

"You won't," she whispered. "I know that look on your face. And I promise, you won't hurt me again. The pain only happens once, Inuyasha. And I'm ready for you again."

He had to admit, she really did know him way too well for his own good. But she was also usually right. So nudging her chin with his nose, Inuyasha smiled lovingly at her as he kissed her long, and passionately.

With her arms above her head, Kagome managed to roll her arms to her side, when he finally let go of her wrists, she trailed her nails up his spine. Feeling his body shiver above hers made her melt. She loved that no matter what she did to him, he loved it and lost all control.

Looking into each other's eyes, they smiled at one another. Kagome's now golden brown eyes sparkled in the near darkness to him so brightly he could clearly see every detail in them. He wondered how he could be so lucky?

It had taken eleven years for him to finally have the woman of his dreams. And in truth, it had taken two and a half centuries for him to learn what love really was. He had been so alone and angry for so long, even Myoga had feared he would never know what love was like. Then, Kagome freed him from Kikyo's spell, and saved him countless times from danger and death. All because she loved him the way he was.

Now, she was permanently his. No one could ever take her away from him, and she would have his lifespan. They would never lose their closeness and love, mainly because no matter what, he knew whatever they argued about, they could always work it out. But more importantly, neither of them would ever have to hide again.

"I love you…" he whispered pulling her closer to him.

Kagome smiled up at him. She had to admit, everything really had changed. She had married the one man she had loved for as long as she could remember, her friends had finally allowed themselves to love one another. Sesshomaru was finally becoming a part of the family they had created so long ago, and now, they had no more reason to fight. Naraku was truly gone.

Fate never seemed this kind before.

"I love you too, Inuyasha," she whispered back to him.

As Inuyasha went to kiss her, the same inky smell reached his nose from the night before. As he pulled back and looked down at his wife, he gave her a skeptical look she knew far too well.

"Kagome," he drawled out her name slowly. "Why do I smell ink on you?"

She giggle lightly as she looked up at him. Typical Inuyasha.

Rolling over onto her stomach, Kagome lowered the layered blankets away from her skin.

Inuyasha's eyes widened in shock at what he saw on Kagome's perfect skin. His name. She had marked her body with his name.

"Don't be mad at me today of all days for doing this. I wanted to," she said looking at his face, and not knowing what to think.

Gently brushing his knuckles over the raised and tender flesh, Inuyasha smiled looking down at her. This had been one thing he never thought she would do, not even if it was something for him. Almost not believing it was there, Inuyasha's eyes drifted back down to her lower back. He knew in Kagome's time, getting a tattoo meant more than honor and tribal markings. It was meant as a form of expression. And now, looking at her skin, he found she was expressing her love for him. In a very permanent way.

"I love it," he said softly to her. "But I wish you had told me. Then I wouldn't have wanted to rip your dress off so badly at our wedding yesterday."

Rolling back over, Kagome gave him a playful smile as she ran her nails up his chest.

"I thought you wanted to rip my dress off for other reasons."

Inuyasha shivered yet laughed lightly at her. She did have a point.

"Maybe, and you know what?" he said moving over her and pulling the blankets apart.

"What?" she said feeling the natural warmth of his body hit hers. Looking into his eyes, she found the purple markings were coming back slowly onto his cheeks. And as he smiled at her, she couldn't help but fall under his spell.

"From what it looks like… neither of us will be going anywhere for a while. So, don't bother getting dressed today."

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Slowly opening his eyes, Miroku looked down to see his wife sleeping peacefully in his arms. Sango had definitely done things to him the night before that he never thought were possible. And he was so glad that she had enjoyed herself last night. It was the first time they had ever done anything to test their limits, and in some odd way, Miroku had an odd feeling that she had beat him.

Mainly because by round eight, he passed out.

Smiling to himself, Miroku pulled her closer, wondering what she was dreaming about. But as he felt something odd on her shoulder, she woke up.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry," he said as she pulled away from him. "What's on your shoulder?"

Sango smiled as she turned her naked back to him, and if it weren't for her butt always being his focal point, she had a feeling he wasn't looking at her new addition to her body.

"Miroku, eyes up," she said in a bored tone. After finally hearing his gasp, she looked back at him and smiled.

Miroku couldn't believe what he was looking at. It was a tattoo of two angel wings, a halo, and a name.

Kohaku.

Reaching out to lightly run his fingers over it, he found himself smiling. She had found her way to let go yet still hold onto her brother. Sango was free.

"Its beautiful darling," he said feeling the raised healing skin. "I've never seen anything so detailed before in my life. Did you get this done in Kagome's time?"

She smiled as she nodded at him. It truly had become a part of her. And now she could always have her brother with her.

Hojo had told her to take very good care of it. Not to go swimming or go in the sun for a while, and she was fine with that. As long as her brother was still alive and in her heart, and now a part of her in ways she never thought possible. She was okay.

"Kagome got one done too. Only she got Inuyasha's name on her lower back."

Miroku had to laugh. Knowing Inuyasha, the poor hanyou could have smelled this ink from a mile away.

"So that's why Kagome came back in here last night and took that tube out of her bag," he said picking up the tube from near the bed. "This is the stuff to keep the smell away and keep your tattoo in good condition isn't it?"

Sango nodded as she smiled at him. Her body was sore from the night before, but she was willing to finish what they started as she looked at him now in his naked glory.

As he felt her eyes on him once more, Miroku had to smile. Last night had been one of the best night's of his life. And he had a feeling his wife wanted something from him. So, looking at her, he crooked his finger at her with a smile on his face.

"Come here Sango, I think we still have a few more things to try out."

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Rin opened her eyes feeling like as if her entire body had turned to stone. Every muscle was sore, her eyes were sensitive to the bright light pouring in, her skin felt sweaty and cold to the touch, and when she looked down, she screamed.

Sesshomaru's body jolted at the sound of his mate's shriek. Scared and ready to take on anyone who would dare harm her, he looked to her ready for anything. But what he found shocked even him.

All over Rin's perfect body where purple marking's, and her fingernails hand grown into claws. As she looked at him in horror, Sesshomaru's breath caught.

Her eye's had flecks of gold in them.

"Se- Sesshomaru? Wh- what's happening to me?!"

'_Oh, my, god.'_

So, it was true. If a full demon were to take on a human for a life mate, then they would take on a few of their traits. As some of the markings on her thighs and hips dipped and lightly swirled, Rin began to lose her footing. Sesshomaru grabbed her instantly and held her. So, she was going to truly be a part of him. Even have a few of his powers from what it seemed. Holding onto her and whispering in her ears lightly, he watched in awe and horror as Rin's body slowly changed before him.

When the pain ha finally ended, Rin looked down at her body. Thankfully not all of the marking's had stayed. Only two on both sides of her hips and legs. The one's on her arms and chest had disappeared.

As she looked up at Sesshomaru, she felt confused and afraid. Something odd had just happened to her, and right now, she really wanted to know what it was.

Looking at her, Sesshomaru didn't know what to think. As he looked at the markings around he collarbone, the one's she could not see, he was thankful that none had stayed on her face. Her scar was still on her cheek, but her eyes held some of him in them now.

"It looks like our mating is the one at fault for this," he said running his poison filled claws over her cheek gently.

For once, nothing bad happened when they touched her skin. No redness, no pain, nothing at all.

She could tell for some odd reason he was scared. But it did make some sense. Kaede had told her this might happen, and it is only a form of protection that the demon blood possesses.

Looking to the long mirror at the end of the bed, she took in her new form as best as she could.

The deep purple swirls across her skin seemed to be warning signs to anyone that wanted to bother her. But she thought they looked pretty on her. Sesshomaru seemed okay with them, and since there were no markings on her face, she figured she could live with this change comfortably. Looking back into the golden eyes she loved so much, she smiled in reassurance.

"It's okay, I'm okay. So, don't be so worried."

Sesshomaru exhaled in relief as he looked at her and smiled. He hadn't thought this would happen to her. Then again, he was a pure demon, so he had never seen this happen to a human before. Looking at her now, he wondered what she could do, if she was still mainly human, or more like him.

Smiling at her, he gently put her down and disappeared. Rin knew this was a game, so smiling, she followed his form around the room. When she finally saw an opportunity, she lunged at him.

But to her surprise, she actually caught him for once.

As they landed on the bed, Sesshomaru smiled brightly looking at her. She had some of his speed. Not all, but some. As her nails sharply dug into his flesh, he growled in delight at feeling the little jabs of pain.

Rin smiled down at him with a set of fangs he could only deem as beautiful and perfect. And those sharp little points had his mind racing like it had only the night before. Only today, he felt he should be the one to take the plunge headfirst.

Pulling her down onto him more, Sesshomaru kissed her passionately. Finding she seemed to taste even better now than she had before. Now knowing he had no reason to fear hurting her in any way, he ran his hand between her legs and smiled against her mouth as she trembled above him. The scent f her arousal hit his nose and made it tingle wonderfully. As he began to gently play with her, the sound of her light moans and panting made his skin scream for her.

Rin could have sworn she was seeing stars. Every sensation he delivered to her flesh, she wanted more and more of it. Looking down into his eyes, she could feel her own need for him rising once more. Then, that's when it hit her.

She was truly his now. And no one would ever be able to take him away from her.

Gently running her claws through his long hair, and pulling lightly at the scalp anytime she felt she was going to burn away into nothing, Rin relished in the attention and care of her husband. This is what she had always wanted with him since she had been sixteen. Just to be his and his alone.

And as he thrust his body into hers, she screamed in shock and happiness, knowing full well now that they would be perfectly fine.

With every motion he delivered into her body, she could only be thankful for everything that had happened. Jaken may have been gone, and she had grown up in a world far different from any other human girl, but she was happy.

And to her, that's all that truly mattered now.

As Sesshomaru felt his body begin to lose control, he stopped. Not wanting to be done with her so suddenly, he pulled her lips to his, finding peace in the taste of them.

He wished the moment would never end, and having her there with him, he knew it most likely never would.

Because their love, was something he would never lose.

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Feeling something tickling her nose, Ayame slowly opened her eyes to see Koga dangling a long strand of grass over her face. He was smiling down at her the way he had since last night, and his green mating mark showed brightly against his skin. Grabbing the strand, she smiled as she yawned at him.

"Good morning," he said quietly to her.

Yawning her reply to him, she sat up and stretched. Her body was slightly aching from the night before, but it was a delicious tightness she welcomed. She felt so alive now, and her mating mark reminded her of rain water running into her very veins.

She wondered sitting there now how Kagome and Rin had taken to the changes the mating ritual brought on in humans. Nothing had happened to her due to the fact that she was already a demon. But her friends most likely were either in a lot of pain right about now, or they had welcomed the changes without knowing anything about them.

As she looked to her mate, she couldn't help but smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her.

Koga grinned as his lips met hers, and as the taste of her lips hit him, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment. Ayame had done so many wonderful things for him already, and now he had no idea what exactly he was going to do. All he wanted to do was stay in this cave with her forever, and almost not return to the village. Wolf demons usually kept their wives hidden from others just out of protective instinct. But he knew he could never do that to her, or their friends.

Slowly opening his eyes, Koga found the emerald green depths that had taken his heart shining brightly for him. And he really felt blessed for everything he now had.

Inuyasha had become his best friend of all people. And the hanyou had even told him long ago, you love the one person who drives you crazy. And you only need to look into their eyes once and know if they are indeed the one for you.

But once was never enough for him. Ayame's eyes were the one thing he could never deny he loved about her. They just seemed to glow in the light and darkness for him anytime he looked to them. And now, seeing them once again, he wondered if everything would always be this perfect?

"Yes, it will," she said to him smiling. "I know that look, you've had it in your eyes before, Koga."

He had to laugh, and then kissed her once more. She really did know him a lot better than she should.

Opening the tiny bark door he had put up once she had fallen asleep, he grabbed a blanket and headed outside to watch the sun rise. It was truly a beautiful morning. The sky was orange and pink with only a few clouds in the air. As she joined him, he smiled as the sun's rays touched her skin, highlighting certain parts he'd always thought were just a creamy white.

"Do you think everyone else is okay?" she said leaning into him. "I mean, Kagome and Rin are humans… the mating rituals if I'm correct can change them."

He was a little worried for his other friends now that he thought about it. Sometimes humans did not even survive the mating. If the love was not pure enough, it could truly kill them.

But, looking back on everything, he had no doubts that they were fine. Kagome's love for Inuyasha was one of the purest he'd ever seen. And Rin somehow seemed to always have been in love with Sesshomaru.

"They should be fine, Ayame. As long as those girls really love those demons, they should be fine."

Watching as the sun finally began to rise, Koga pulled his wife even closer. This was how everything was going to be from now on. And since he considered everyone like family now, he was happy to say he couldn't wait to see everyone in a few days.

Life, was finally good.

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Feeling a little silly that Sango had managed to knock over the fruit bowl, and everything else that was standing into the fireplace or all over the floor, Miroku dressed himself in a pair of purple plad cotton pajama bottoms that Kagome had brought over for him, and made his way over to Kaede's hut. He was a little hungry after everything he and his wife had done this morning, and since their hut was now a mess, he had a feeling asking the old woman for some food would not be that big of an issue.

As he opened the curtain to the hut, he stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes widened and jaw dropped.

"Oh! Hi Miroku!" Kaede said pulling the blankets over her suddenly.

And Totosai.

"Eh, how are you doing young man?" Totosai said rubbing his head and blushing.

Turning around, Miroku ran from the hut, with absolutely no appetite anymore.

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**Lol, I HAD to do it ppl.**

**Sorry it took so frickin' long. **

**But it's done!**

**Chapter 7 is FINALLY out of the way!!!!**

**YAY!!!!**

**Toodles,**

**Me**

**: P**


	9. Chapter 8: Back to Normal, Almost

_Chapter 8: Back to Normal… Almost_

As she opened her eyes to stare into the darkness once more, Kagome found that it was still nighttime. The tree was opened and showing the stars brightly in the sky before her. And her husband and mate was beside her, smiling up at the little glowing flecks in the sky.

"Can't sleep, can you?" he asked her jokingly.

"Nope, and I don't think I'll be able to sleep normally for a week after today," she said with a hint of a devilish smile on her face.

Inuyasha laughed. Looking at her now in the very dim light from the stars, he did see why she had a point.

Her beautiful naked body was coated in sweat. And the smell of it made his head simply tingle. He loved the way she smelled, and judging from the look on her face, she was most likely willing to go once more tonight.

But, all he wanted right now was to hold her, and enjoy the remaining hours where he could have her all to himself like this. Because it would be a while before they could do something like this again.

Looking over at the remainder of their dinner, Inuyasha sighed. Tomorrow, everything would be back to normal.

And he could hardly wait.

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_The next day… around noon…_

"Kaede!" Kagome said running to hug the old woman standing in her garden.

"Ah, Kagome, ye and Inuyasha have finally returned," she said smiling and giving her a simple hug back. "Everyone else is at Miroku and Sango's."

"Thank you," she said smiling at her.

Running back to Inuyasha's side, she looked at him for a few moments. There was an odd look on his face as he stared at Kaede, and she had a feeling he knew something was up.

"Is something wrong?" she asked snaking her arm into his as they started walking.

Inuyasha could smell something odd coming off of Kaede, but he really had no idea what in the world it could be. It almost smelled like the same thing that had been going on between him and Kagome for the past few days. But then again, who would actually do something like that with the old woman, and why?

He figured it was most likely a misunderstanding whatever it was. And knowing him, his senses were slightly off due to the amount of times is body's chemistry had changed anytime he and Kagome had made love. He had been feeling a little drained from their escapades over the past three days, but he was wondering now if something odd **had **happened.

Upon seeing the hut, Inuyasha smiled seeing his brother leaning against the outer wall. But when they were finally within a few feet of Sesshomaru, Inuyasha tried his best not to laugh.

Besides being extremely pale and weak, Sesshomaru's eyebrow twitched every few seconds from above his brow. Almost as if something had actually scared him into dementia. Kagome bent down to his eye level, just to see if he was actually breathing.

"Sesshomaru?"

Looking at her slowly, a small smile fell on his lips as he looked to the red mating mark on her neck and her now slightly golden eyes. Even after the terrifying story Miroku had just told himself and Koga, he had to smile at his sister-in-law.

Sometimes, he found it hard to believe how much his Rin and her looked alike. And now, with a few little bits and pieces of both he and his brother in their DNA, now both women looked even more outstanding.

Even though Rin's transformation had been far harder on her than Kagome's just by judging, he thought she looked just as beautiful as his mate did.

Whom had ran into the woods to throw up along with Ayame.

"I will be fine," he said, still feeling like he was going to lose his lunch. "Just need some recovery time is all."

"Recovery? From what?" Inuyasha said now leaning down as well.

Without any warning, Totosai came around the corner of the hut, whistling and holding a basket of herbs in his arms, most likely for Kaede. As he stopped to look at the two demons and miko, he smiled widely at all of them and waved. Sesshomaru's eyes bulged, nearly out of his head as he looked away from the old man, and even found himself wanting to cry over the mental image Miroku had given him only moments before.

"Good to see your back Master Inuyasha," he said winking at him. As he went back to whistling his tune, Kagome's eyebrow raised as she looked at him.

Something was very, very, **very** off about the old man today.

When he was finally out of sight, Inuyasha looked to his brother. And found himself getting worried.

Sesshomaru had gone grey.

"Bro? Hey, what's the matter?" he said shaking him.

When his older brother looked to him, Inuyasha's eyes widened seeing the obvious implication in them. But it couldn't be. Totosai was almost older than dirt? Who on earth-

Kaede.

Upon hearing someone throwing up around the corner, Inuyasha looked to see who it was. And to no surprise, it was actually Koga. And he looked just as bad as his brother did.

"Hey guys," he said noticing them and turning around as he wiped is mouth off. "So, what mark did you two get?"

Inuyasha raised his eyebrow at one of his two best male friends oddly. And now, he really had to ask.

"Did something happen that we should know about?"

Koga looked at his friend, and then at Kagome, whom now seemed far more beautiful than she had before her mating. But that was due to the changes Inuyasha's demon blood had had on her. He really didn't want to answer, just because the idea of holding down whatever else was in his stomach was still appealing, but he figured they could get the clean version instead of the one he and everyone else had received. Just because he felt like being nice.

"I'll give you a hint. We weren't exactly the only one's to have mating rituals going on these past few days."

Well, maybe the nice way wasn't even good enough to keep someone's lunch down.

Inuyasha was the first to run into the woods as soon as the mental imagery kicked in, and he felt bad for the poor bastard who had actually seen it. After losing his entire lunch in one go, he slowly walked back over to the others.

Kagome was laughing at all of them.

"What's so funny?!" Inuyasha asked, slightly woozy from his latest experience today.

"You guys are all getting sick due to Kaede and Totosai having-"

Inuyasha covered her mouth with his hand before she uttered the fateful word that would send all but her into puking Ville.

Geez, it figures she'd be the only one with a **strong **stomach.

After ripping her husband's hand away from her mouth, Kagome glared at him. She had no idea what the big deal really was. Kaede and Totosai had been flirting back and fourth for months now. Had no one other that herself really noticed?

Then, looking at the three sick males, she already had her answer.

"Well, while all of you are still acting like children, I need to go and get my son. I'll be back in a little while," she said sternly to all of them. As she turned around to look at her mate, she found herself smiling at him.

"Get some rest, love. Don't forget. You made a promise to me before we left our little hide away," she added winking at him.

Even though he still felt sick, he smiled at her and waved. Heading into the hut, Inuyasha looked at Miroku and Sango, and found himself laughing now at the poor monk.

Miroku must have been the one to discover the unfortunate sight, because he was still in shock from what it looked like.

Sango was sitting by his side, pressing a wet cloth to his face over and over again. When she looked up at Inuyasha, she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, he's the one that saw the whole thing," she said dully to him. "He's been like this for a little while now. I think everything he saw has burned itself permanently into his brain."

Well, if it had been him, Inuyasha knew he would most likely be the same way. Finding a seat in the tiny living room, he rubbed his eyes. Even in his mind, just the thought burned away in a painful way. But he couldn't do anything about it. And from what it sounded like, at least the two older people were happier now.

He just wondered if Kagome had known something was going on between the two after how she had acted.

Then again, he **really** wasn't up for asking.

"Where is Kagome anyways?" Sango asked him.

Looking at her, he smiled.

"She went to go and get Shippo from her time. I guess she missed him a lot. Where's everyone else?"

"Throwing up in the woods. But Ayame and Rin were doing that since they arrived. I guess the ritual for the both of them was a little harder than on Kagome, huh?"

Thinking about it now, Inuyasha had to nod. Sometimes the mating ritual was a lot harder on the female than the male sometimes. But with his brother being a full demon, and Rin being a full human, it must have really been painful.

But he couldn't understand why Ayame was sick. Then again, he had no idea how the wolven rituals went. He only knew about his own.

Even though Kagome had gone through the change a lot better, he was still worried about something.

Anytime they had made love for the past few days, he had turned into a full demon. And he knew that his body was trying to do something to her every single time. He just didn't know what yet.

Still feeling sick to his stomach about the news he had just heard, Inuyasha laid down. At least when his wife returned he should feel somewhat better.

So, taking a nap was a better option than listening to Miroku babble like a fool.

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As Kagome pulled herself from the well, she could easily feel the burning of her muscles. Every single one of them ached as she reached the top.

'_Geez, I swear, Inuyasha seriously needs to learn to be gentle with me. I __**am **__still human for crying out loud!' _she thought giggling to herself as she blushed remembering the past few days of her life.

She still couldn't believe it that she was married to the man of her dreams, and that she had had the most amazing and romantic three days of her life with him. Inuyasha really had surprised her time and time again with everything he had wanted to do. And even when it was not even sexually related, he still surprised her just the same.

"Mom!" Shippo yelled running out of the house smiling at her as he collided with her. "You're back!"

As she nearly fell over Kagome hugged her son. Shippo seemed happy enough to see her, and she had a funny feeling it would be best to forewarn him about the new events at home.

"Hey, so I take it you had a good couple of days in my time?" she asked looking at him.

But then, she noticed something on his left ear that almost made her scream.

"What. The hell. Is **that**?" she hissed pulling his pointed ear down closer to her face.

Yup, it was a piercing. And a BIG one at that.

"Oww, Mom ct it out! That hurts!"

"I bet it does. Now who the heck did this to you?"

"Uncle Souta's friend," he said quickly.

Figures, she was definitely dealing with another coward in her life. Oh well, at least she knew who he was talking about.

So, after standing up and pulling him by his other ear into the house. Kagome found her younger brother and nailed him with a look.

"What did Cory do to my son?"

Holding up his hands in surrender, Souta looked over at his adoptive nephew, whom was only a few years younger than him, and sighed.

"Be thankful he didn't do what I did. Mom's still not talking to me," he said pulling down one of his sleeves and showing her a large tattoo of a Dragon and Tiger fighting in bright orange flames on his bicep.

As Kagome's eyes widened in shock, she looked to Shippo ad glared at him.

"What the heck has gotten into the both of you? I leave you alone for three days and I find **you**," she said pointing to Shippo's chest. "And **you," **sheadded now pointing to her younger brother. "Are acting irresponsible and crazy."

"Sis, chill out. For one thing, I'm twenty one years old and I have the right to make my own choices in life. Two, Shippo wanted one of these, but Cory wouldn't do it, so he settled on the ear piercing. And three, don't **you **have a tattoo as well?"

Yeesh, talk about calling the kettle black.

As she turned to her son, who merely only shrunk away from her in fear, Kagome sighed and shook her head at both of them.

'_This was suppose to be an easy day for me, not a total drama nightmare,' _she thought now looking at her wedding ring.

Boy, was Inuyasha gonna be pissed.

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As Kagome tried to catch the rim of the well once again and failed miserably, Shippo pointed out that if she wanted to now, all she had to do was jump high.

"Mom, don't forget, you **do **have demonic abilities now. You don't need to struggle like a human would anymore," he pointed out bluntly to her.

"Oh yeah…," she said as she dropped back down into the well and prepared herself to jump high.

As she felt her legs tighten, Kagome released and flew to the top of the well. Shippo merely rolled his eyes at her, but she smiled at this.

She could get out of the well by herself more easily now.

And for her, that really was a plus.

"Are you seriously going to make a big deal out of this thing, Mom? It's just an industrial piercing," he said pointing to the long metal pole at the top of his ear. "And why is Pop's gonna be pissed at me for it? It's not like I did my eyebrow or my nose or anything like that. Even though that's what Cory wanted to give me."

"And I would have killed you in my time. Literally, if you had done that. You do realize that if you ever take that thing out it's going to leave a nasty scar?"

"Mom," he said dully as he pointed at his feet, tail, and fangs. "I'm a demon. As long as I don't get salt near it, I should be okay. Besides, scars are not an issue for me."

"Ugh… boys," she mumbled to herself as she began trudging her way down the path to Miroku and Sango's hut. "Come on, your father is most likely waiting for us."

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"Whoa! What's with the strong, rancid smell of puke everywhere?!" Shippo said as he pinched his nose and stopped right before the door.

Even though Kagome wanted to tell him, she felt it wasn't necessary. Knowing Sesshomaru, he would want to gross out her son with the 'Tale of Horror'.

So, she'd let him do it. Besides, she was still a little upset with him about getting a huge piercing in his ear without her consent.

"Go and ask your Uncle. I'm going to go and find Inuyasha," she said as she entered the house. Now noticing the scent for the first time and wanting to gag herself.

Only Miroku could make so many people throw up within a few hours. And by now everyone must have been feeling better. So, looking around the hut, Kagome smiled as she found her husband sleeping in a chair next to the window.

As she gently crawled into his lap, Kagome kissed his red mating mark on his neck, causing him to stir lightly and moan in his sleep. As he looked up at her with lazy eyes, he smiled as he pushed a strand of her hair away fro her face.

"Hey you.." he whispered showing his fangs.

"Hey…" she whispered back smiling at him. "Did you have a good nap, Baby?"

As he stretched and pulled her closer onto his lap, Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her waist and yawned.

"I guess so. But what took you so long?"

"I had to ream our son a new asshole. He decided to get a piercing over in my time without either of our permissions."

As his eyes shot completely open, Inuyasha growled.

"He did what?" he asked her sternly.

"You heard me. He got a piercing. An industrial I guess is what he calls it. It goes from here," she said pointing to the side of her ear. "To here," she said as she moved her finger to the other side of her ear.

As he growled again, Inuyasha shook his head and sighed.

"What are we gonna do with that boy?"

"Not let him go anywhere with my brother anymore. That's for sure," she said pressing her body into his.

As she felt his breath catch in his throat at her movement, Kagome smiled with her eyes and lips as she gently rubbed her body into his more seductively.

"Kagome… you keep doing that and you won't be walking straight for a month," he warned playfully as her fingers went to drag over the lines of his Kimono.

"Maybe I don't want to," she purred in his ear softly, causing him to shiver under her weight.

Well, if that hadn't been an invitation, Inuyasha wouldn't have known what was.

Scooping her up in his arms quickly, Inuyasha dashed from the hut. As his demonic markings started to show once more on his face, as he passed his brother, son, and Koga. Kagome merely giggled as she breathed against his neck as she saw the looks on their faces.

As they ran throughout the woods, Inuyasha's eyes began to glow once more, casting off a brilliant sunshine yellow as he looked down at her.

"We're not heading back there until I've had my way with you in every way possible. I hop you know that," he whispered sending chills down her spine.

"Do you really think I'm going to object to that?" she answered as he slowed down near the hot springs.

Before he could even answer her, Inuyasha's lips were pressed against hers. Pulling up her sundress as he felt the soft cotton of her underwear, he growled.

He truly was under a spell when it came to her, and as he pulled the thin, delicate panties off of her, Inuyasha's head spun at the smell of her arousal for him.

Even though all he wanted to do was be gentle with her, he couldn't help himself. Pressing her back up against the semi rough rock formation near the water, Inuyasha nipped at her skin on the tops of her breasts as she moaned and pulled his hair.

Scissoring her legs together, Kagome grabbed at the tie around his waist and yanked the thing free. Making his bottoms drop to the ground in a thud. As Inuyasha pressed his body into hers, she could already feel the hot pooling effect between her legs increase as his tip brushed her thighs. But as his claws gently pulled down the front of her stretchy top and bra, she wanted to scream.

Kissing her gently, knowing how much I drove her crazy when he did, Inuyasha suckled lightly on the sensitive skin of a taught peak and dropped another hand lower. Feeling her was enough to make him feel dizzy. She was soft and wet for him like she had been for the past three days. And the slow, erotic teasing was even about to make him break.

"Inuyasha…," she moaned softly, shaking against the rock and his hands.

Feeling his own reserve snap, Inuyasha pulled his hand away from her swollen wetness and lifted her leg. As he looked into her eyes, all he could see was lust and love in them. And the deep pools of brown and gold flecks were far more mesmerizing to him than anything else in the world.

"Yes?" he asked breathing roughly.

As she was silent for a few moments, Inuyasha didn't bother to wait for her response. With one thrust, he engulfed her, causing her to moan and scream in bliss. As he started his motion, he lifted her legs and grabbed her perfect butt to hold her in place. As her legs tightened around him, along with the rest of her body, Inuyasha growled in triumph as Kagome screamed his name over and over again. Nearly to the point of making his own ears hurt, but he loved the way she sounded none the less.

So, he went a little harder.

As she screamed and clutched to him for a sixth time, Kagome could already feel the rough scratches on her back becoming more and more raw. But as her seventh orgasm assaulted her head one, she screamed and dug her nails into his back, causing a chain reaction within him as well.

As he roared and slammed into her over and over again, Inuyasha's head simply spun. The light headed feeling of bliss overtook him and pulled him into another world.

Her world. The happy place where they had been for three days and now were back in it.

As the final shudder left his body, Inuyasha gently pressed his hand to her back and tumbled down. As he landed on the soft grass, Inuyasha could swear he saw stars. Gently playing with her hair as she breathed heavily on him, Inuyasha chuckled thinking about how wonderful today was actually turning out to be.

He was with his wife, and life mate. He was happy to be home with his friends. But most of all, he was happy to be alive to have these things.

"Inuyasha?" she said softly now looking at him.

"Hmm?"

"I love you…," she whispered smiling.

As he gently kissed her swollen lips, Inuyasha gently pulled her a little closer to him and sighed.

"I love you too, Kagome."

As they laid in each others arms for a few moments, Kagome smiled as she giggled evilly at him.

"What?" he asked, now realizing that she was grinding her hips against him once more. Causing his body to bend and contort to her every whim.

As she felt him grow hard once again inside of her, Kagome grabbed his wrists and pinned his legs down with hers. As her evil smile played on her lips, she gently moved around a little and felt her own victory as he arched up into her more and moaned once again.

Leaning down so she was only a few inches away from his, she giggled, and Inuyasha's eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head at her last verbal response to him. And he moaned in compliance to her statement.

"My turn now to drive you crazy now."

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"So, where do you think they went off to in such a hurry?" Shippo asked wagging his eyebrows up and down at his uncle.

As Sesshomaru rolled his eyes at him, a slow smile spread across his lips at an idea.

A very, evil idea.

Thinking of the best way possible to word it, Sesshomaru looked to Koga and grinned. Then back at his nephew, and stated in the most 'polite' way possible his answer for him.

"They're most likely going to be doing what all of us, including Kaede and Totosai did for the past three days… you wouldn't understand."

As Shippo's face paled, Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at him.

"What? Just think of it this way, when were all finally old and grey and wrinkled, it'll be what you walk into when you see your parents going at it. Nothing wrong with that now is-"

Before he could even finish, Shippo ran away and started throwing up over the fence for the garden. Sesshomaru and Koga whaled with laughter as they watched him, and both demon men smiled as they toasted themselves with their cups of water.

Today really was turning out to be a normal, interesting day.

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**Wow, I can't believe I actually finished chapter 8. I know it's been a while, but I had MAJOR writers block on this one. Plus I have seen trying to finish off at least one of my stories so I can start working on another.**

**Well, didn't exactly happen, but now I know I'll start working on this one again now since I'm past that little obstacle.**

**Well, I hope I get some reviews on this baby! It took me FOREVER to finish and I hope everyone liked it.**

**Next chapter will be up A LOT sooner than this one. I PROMISE!!**

**Toodles, **

**Me**

**: P **


	10. Chapter 9: Suspicions

_9 Months_

_Chapter 9: Suspicions _

As the weeks quickly rolled by, it was slowly becoming colder and colder with each and every passing day in the Warring States Era. Inuyasha had been working on a home for them for only a few weeks now, but Kagome had had a sick feeling in her stomach the past few days that was really starting to worry her.

For the past six days, she had thrown up every single morning right before sunrise. Inuyasha had woken up every single time and helped her down from the tree he had been building their home in, but even now he was starting to worry.

"Kagome, maybe you should go and see a doctor in your time?" he had finally said after their last argument over her health. "I mean you've never gotten sick like this before."

Even though she knew he was right, Kagome had a sneaking suspicion that she knew what might possibly be happening to her body. But she figured it would be best to be one hundred percent positive first before saying anything to Inuyasha.

'_Come to think of it… Sango, Rin, and Ayame haven't been feeling all that great either,' _Kagome thought to herself as she nodded numbly at her husband and started on her way to Sango's. She knew Inuyasha would be working on their home for the rest of the day, and she needed to go over to her time anyways to pick up the new full size bed and many other random things that she wanted to have in their home. And as she thought more deeply into the subject, Kagome placed her hand over the small of her lower belly.

Since her spiritual powers had grown so much in the past few years, she could now detect innocent heartbeats. It had been one way to recruit new priestesses and monks from what she had learned from Kaede, but she wondered…

Looking back to where her new home would soon be finished, Kagome rushed off into the deepest part of the woods where she knew Inuyasha wouldn't sense her. Looking around, she closed her eyes.

As she focused all of her energy on her own body, Kagome felt as if she had hit a brick wall.

She couldn't feel anything. In fact, she couldn't even tell if she was…

"Am I?" she wondered out loud.

Looking down once more and moving her hand over to the spot that seemed more tender than usual, Kagome sighed.

Right now, a baby was most certainly not on her mind. She had only been married and mated to Inuyasha for not even two months yet. She wanted time for just him and her right now. Even though it seemed a little selfish, Kagome figured that right now, a baby was not the best idea.

Sure, she did want children. Raising Shippo had been a blast and even after Inuyasha had finally accepted the responsibility of becoming his adoptive father, she'd realized how great of a parent he would make someday. She wanted to know what it would be like to raise a baby from day one. Holding a new born in her arms and have her husband's eyes shining with pride and love. But right now? No. She wasn't ready for that just yet.

She wanted to make up all of the time her and her husband had lost due to Naraku and Kikyo and everything else that had stood in their way for so long. She wanted to have sex all the time and be the crazy in love teenager she never got to really be. She just wanted… thing's to stay the way they were for a while. She wanted her alone time. She wanted her husband and her friends and her family. She didn't want a baby right now.

But, she had a funny feeling that what she wanted, wasn't exactly going to be happening.

Even her friends had been acting oddly too. Rin had been throwing up for weeks, but Kagome had figured that had been from her mating to Sesshomaru. Her body had gone through a lot of drastic changes, even for a nineteen year old girl. And even though Kagome's change had been slight, she too had felt the differences within herself. Her night vision had gotten the better of her a few times and had even made her pretty dizzy. Jumping high in the air had caused her to feel extremely nauseous once she felt gravity pulling her right back down. And even though she hadn't acquired any of Inuyasha's strength, her sense of smell had been magnified to the point where she was terrified to go back home.

She merely shuttered at the thought of what Rin was dealing with, because from what it had sounded like, she'd gotten quite a bit of her mate's powers and senses.

But even Sango kept complaining about migraines every morning, and she refused to throw up. It was yet another stubborn quality to her that even Kagome wondered why she just wouldn't let it out. She'd sat in the hut with the poor woman twice as she tried her best not to let her sickness get the better of her. And even still, it wasn't a pretty site. Miroku had gotten nailed nearly six times in the past two weeks, and the scary part was, he'd asked her if she was possibly pregnant.

Sango had punched him so hard the last time that Inuyasha had needed to reset his nose for him, and now the poor monk was sleeping on the floor in the next room.

And then there was Ayame…

Well, anyone would puke from craving and eating practically raw meat every single night for three weeks. Kagome was surprised she wasn't dead yet.

And as for herself…

"Okay, we need to make a trip to my time. Today!" she growled. As she started her way to the caves, since Ayame was the closest right now, she figured she go and grab her first and then make her way to Rin and Sesshomaru's new love nest in the making.

Sesshomaru as it turned out… was a total worry wart when it came to any of them. Since he was in fact the strongest because of his age, he figured he could protect everyone far better than they all thought. And since he'd regained his right arm shockingly a few weeks ago, he was becoming far too protective of everyone. But when it came to his mate, he was completely at his worst.

Kagome almost couldn't help but giggle over the memory…

_Flash back…_

_"Rin! Put that down right now!" came a very feral growl as Kagome helped the young girl lift one of the small throne chairs from the castle._

_Even though she knew her mate was only trying to protect her, Rin had had enough of the babying act, and since he now had both of his arms, he'd become a total safety tyrant. Looking towards Kagome, whom was rolling her eyes in an 'I told you so' matter, Rin growled as she flung the chair at her beloved._

_And of course, he caught it._

_` "That's better, now why don't you just sit down and let me and Inuyasha take it from here?" he said now smiling. _

_That smile of his, as rare as it could be, did not last very long as he looked to his mate. Who looked as if she was about to start spitting a venom all her own._

_"Sesshomaru," she dragged his name out in a growl. "How many times do I have to tell you?! I'm not a child anymore! I don't need you to keep treating me like I'm a porcelain doll that could break if a feather were to touch it! I want to help! This is our home! And I think I have a right to help build it-"_

_"But Rin-"_

_"Don't you dare 'But Rin' me right now! How dare you! Do you think I enjoy having some of your powers and I'm not even allowed to lift a god damn chair without you having a total hissy fit over it? No!" she hissed as she started her walk up to him._

_As Inuyasha whistled to her, Kagome quickly made her way over to her husband's side and hid behind him._

_"I warned him," Inuyasha whispered as he grabbed his sword and hustled them up a tree. "I warned him not to act like that. But he just wouldn't hear it."_

_Kagome sighed, as she watched the once proud demon lord shrink back from his human mate, she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him._

_As Rin kept up her banter, listing off things left and right about how he was being so over protective to the point of suffocation, Sesshomaru let out a whimper as she started screaming in his face._

_"… You won't even let me take a bath now unless you check the temperature first! You never were this ridiculous even when I **was** a child! In fact, you never once freaked out on me even if I wondered off! Now I need a really good reason right now to not strike at you! Give me one!"_

_As he looked down at her, Sesshomaru couldn't help but feel a huge ache in his chest. She really was angry at him. Even though he'd only been doing these things because he had been so terrified of losing her to something so trivial. And with how sick she still seemed to be from their mating, he really couldn't help but worry about her health._

_"Because…" he whispered as he looked at the ground. "You're still not feeling any better since our mating. I don't want you to get any sicker than you already are."_

_As her anger slowly melted away, Rin, looked at him sternly as she raised his chin so their eyes would meet._

_Yup, he was crying. Again._

'I almost miss the stone cold, emotionless Sesshomaru_,' she thought. _'At least that one I never felt like I was bullying around._' _

_"My love, I may be sick right now, but I'm not helpless. You need to realize… you're driving me insane by babying me like this every single waking moment of the day. Where's the proud demon lord I fell in love with? The one that always told me if I wanted something done, then I needed to do it myself? You gave me more courage and the belief that I was not a weakling when I was younger. And now,… now I am strong, and you feel like you need to protect me from everything. Especially since you've regained your arm. Doesn't that seem a little backwards, Sesshomaru?" she said gently as she felt one of his ice cold tears hit her hand. "I know you are doing these thing's because you're worried, Love. And you're still learning how to deal with your emotions. You've neglected them for almost five centuries. But…"_

_"You don't need me to be this worried about you all the time. Do you?" he asked as he placed his hand over hers and raised it to his cheek. _

_As she nodded her head gently, Sesshomaru sighed and looked down at his new arm._

_A week or so after his mating, Totosai had presented him with a sword that had taken him three weeks to wield. It's power had been so strong that, even though he'd hurt himself over and over again in training with it, he had refused to give up. And then just one day, he'd mastered it. As he'd destroyed a large snake demon that had been on it's way to destroy the village, Sesshomaru and his brother had gone to fight the beast. Inuyasha had been pinned instantly, since Kagome had followed and had tried to help. But…_

_A blue and golden light had erupted from within himself, and as he wielded the sword, Sesshomaru had thought of how badly he wanted to protect his mate. How badly he wished he could hold her fully, like a man should be able to do. And of course, his desire to protect her from any form of harm, had been the final piece to the puzzle he'd needed to release his true power. As the light had moved the sword to his right side, Sesshomaru struck hard, and deep. Slicing the monster away instantly._

_When he had looked back down, after not hearing the sword drop, his eyes had begun to water from pure shock. He'd been completely restored to the way he'd been long before his fight with Inuyasha at their father's tomb. And he had fallen to his knees in that instant of pure joy._

_Even Rin had cried once he had returned. And Inuyasha had smiled at him as Kagome had helped him limp into Kaede's hut to be bandaged and healed._

_For the first time since their mating, Sesshomaru had done the one thing he'd wanted to do since he'd realized his feelings for Rin._

_He'd held her up high and spun her around. Just like he'd seen Inuyasha, Koga, and even Miroku do to their women. And she had laughed and smiled the entire time._

_But now, as he moved his new limb up to her face, he felt completely powerless; and weak._

_"Rin… I know I'm still learning. But, I can't help but worry about you," he said in a shaky tone as he pressed his forehead to hers. " I was an incomplete man for so long, that now, since I have **this**," he said as his eyes connected to his right hand, "back… I feel like I can do so much more for you than I ever could before. I feel like as though I can truly protect you now from any form of harm. Is,… is that so terrible of me?"_

_As she huffed in his face and shook her head, Sesshomaru wondered if his ears were drooping like his brother's often did right about now. Because he sure felt like they should be. _

_"You have always been a complete man to me, Sesshomaru. With or without your right arm. And if I have to… I will cut it off again! Just to prove my point," she said as she smiled warmly at him; even though he cringed. "This arm," she said as she cradled it in her tiny hand, "does not dictate the amount of protection you can offer me. It was a sheer gift that it was restored to you. And I would have loved you, either or, with or without it for the rest of eternity. Am I saying you shouldn't be protective of me at all? No. But you don't need to be **this **protective of me. If I'm lifting something or moving around or just trying to do something normal and natural for me, you don't need to become so overly worried that I might possibly get hurt. I love being with you, and I cherish being your mate. But…"_

_As she looked to the trees, Inuyasha cringed at hearing his sister in law's high pitched shriek!_

_"Hey Kagome! What's that phrase you said to me the other day again? Ice out?"_

_As she started laughing hysterically, Inuyasha shook his head and answered for his wife._

_"No, Rin. Chill out. Sesshomaru needs to chill out," he chuckled as he grabbed Kagome by her waist as she nearly fell out of the tree._

_"Oh, okay! Thank you Inuyasha!" she shouted. As she looked back at her mate, she gave him a stern, yet soft look._

_"You need to chill out. Otherwise I might go completely insane on you. Okay?" she said warmly._

_Even though he could feel the embarrassment pulling in every single direction at her last action, Sesshomaru smiled and nodded his head. _

_"Good!" she whispered wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her nose to his. "Now that we have that settled… you wanna take a little break from moving?" she said seductively in his ear lightly, feeling the chills run down his spine as an accomplishment._

_As he grinned evilly at her, Sesshomaru picked her up as quickly as he could and jumped into the tree where his brother and sister in law were still hiding._

_"Inuyasha, break time!" he said smiling like a fool with Rin still in his arms. "Let's meet back here in a few hours, okay?"_

_"Boy is someone in a cheerful mood," he snickered. But as Kagome pressed her body into his, he quickly nodded his head, picked her up, and jumped down. "Okay! That works for me! Have fun you two!"_

_Even though she couldn't help but laugh, Rin rolled her eyes as she watched Inuyasha disappear in a blur of white and red as quickly as she felt her own mate would be doing shortly._

_But when he made no move to leave, she looked at him quizzically._

_"I figured… since we have our bed still in the tent, we could work something out there before it's moved into our new home," he said with a devilish grin as his eyes and markings began to glow. "Besides… I'm still wondering what other thing's we can try now since I do in fact **have** both of my arms again."_

_As her cheeks burned up at the sheer thought, Rin nodded her head shyly before pulling his lips to hers. As the contact was made, Sesshomaru growled low in his throat in approval. She just knew exactly how to make his head spin. And he loved her for it._

_As they headed down to the tent, Inuyasha and Kagome watched quietly from the bushes and smiled at each other._

_"Well, this time. I won," she whispered lightly in his ear as she gently rubbed it, making her hanyou practically purr and melt in her arms. "So… what do I get?"_

_As he looked at her with his own hunger and lust filling for her in his eyes, Inuyasha's marking's on the side of his face appeared once more as his eyes began to glow almost like a citrine gem in the sun._

_"Whatever you wish for," he whispered as he kissed the side of her neck, picked her up once more, and now bolted for the other half of the forest named after him._

_As she giggled and moaned lightly, Kagome closed her eyes as the trees began to blur around her once more._

_But the moment they stopped and found a nice comfy moss covered tree to spend some aloe time in… she opened her eyes… and relished in everything she saw before her._

_End Flashback…._

Yes, it had been a very interesting time now that she really thought about it. And even though she could feel her cheeks beginning to molt like a match was to each of them instantly, she had other thought's on her mind right now that seriously needed to be addressed.

As she began to run, she prayed for the love of all thing's holy that Ayame and Koga were not having any moments like that right now. The last thing she needed to see was either of them naked.

Well, at least then if she did, she'd have a reason to be throwing up.

Upon seeing the large lake near their den, Kagome slowed her pace and walked very carefully over to the cave. Not wanting to interrupt anything, she called out to her friend kindly.

"Ayame?! Are you home? I need to talk to you about-"

The sound of someone gagging uncontrollably told her what she needed to know. She was home alright, and from the sound of things, she wasn't feeling well at all.

"Kagome?! Thank god you're here!"

As she turned around quickly, Kagome was suddenly wrapped in the ultimate bear hug of life. Looking down, she sighed.

"Koga… the last thing either of our mates need to smell is you all over me or vice versa, now, put me down and tell me what's wrong," she said as if she were talking to a child.

As he set her down and backed up a few feet, knowing she was completely right, Koga's eyes began to water as he tried his best to keep his composure.

"I can't get her to stop eating raw meat, and this is the result every single time!" he nearly shouted as Ayame's retching was heard once more. As he dragged his claws through his hair and began to pull on it, Kagome folded her arms and listened to him. Letting him vent right now was truly the best option. "I don't know what to do, Kagome! Ever since our mating, she's been so sick and weak. Everything I've tried the past month isn't working!"

Well, if her suspicions could have gotten any higher.

"Koga, listen to me. I need you to do me a favor okay?" she said very calmly as she put her hand on his shoulder in a form of comfort. "I need you to take Ayame to the Bone Eaters Well. I'm also trying to grab the other girls so I can have my mom check us all out. She's a doctor. A human one, but a very good one. We've all been really sick the past few weeks and from the looks-" she cringed upon hearing Ayame once again, "and sounds of things, I think I might know what it could possibly be."

"Wh-what then?" he begged. "What the hell is happening to all of you?"

Even though she wanted to tell him her theory's, Kagome held her tongue and shook her head quickly.

"Unless I'm positive, I don't want to say anything. But, I also need you to tell Inuyasha to not come after any of us. He wanted me to go back to my time and get checked out anyways. But I know he'll freak out if he finds out we all left. So I need you to keep him calm for me until we all get back. Okay?"

As he nodded his head and looked to the ground, Kagome walked into the cave and cringed at the horrid smells she was dealing with.

As she pinched her nose shut, hoping it would help to keep her from passing out, Kagome found Ayame in the deepest part of the cave where a large hole had been hug out.

"Okay, we're heading over to my time. Now, and remind me to give you some trash bags once we get there," she said as best as she could.

As Ayame turned around, Kagome nearly gasped. She was practically green.

"Why?"

"Ayame, Sweetie, have you looked at yourself the past few days? You look worse than death," she said as honestly as she could and pulled the young wolf demon to her feet. "Koga is going to help you over there, but I need you to relax for a few moments while I gather the others. We're going to see my mother. If I'm correct, today is Monday. So that means she's home."

Even though Ayame had no idea why they were taking a field trip today of all days, she complied as she staggered out of the cave and fell into her mate's arms.

Even though he wanted to cry seeing her like this, Koga knew Kagome was right. She needed to see a doctor right away.

In fact, all of the women did.

Well… minus Kaede. For some odd reason, the old bird was perfectly healthy.

"You got her?" Kagome asked gently as Koga lifted her gently in his arms.

As he nodded, Kagome took off at a dead run. As she found Rin's scent becoming clearer as she reached the hot springs, she came to a halt as she heard another gut retching gag coming from behind a tree.

"Rin?" she asked quietly as she slowly walked behind the tree and put her hand on her sister in law's shoulder comfortingly. "Oh, Honey… are you okay?"

As the young girl looked up, Kagome felt she was even more right than she had been earlier that morning about all of them. It looked as if Rin hadn't been sleeping for a few nights as she had dark circles under her eyes and her skin was much paler than it normally was.

"Do I look okay?" she asked in a dull tone as she wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her kimono and laid her back against the tree. "I feel even worse than I did two days ago. And now Sesshomaru is off somewhere in the mountains trying to find some type of herb Kaede told him would relax me."

Well, at least she had one less mate to deal with. Even though Kagome knew Sesshomaru would be pissed off about taking Rin over to her time without telling him, she knew that now was really the only way she'd get away with it without having to spill her theories to all of them. These men were a force to be reckoned with, and she wanted to take care of all these matters with care.

As she helped her up, Kagome explained to Rin what she thought was going on, and why they all needed to get over to her time right now, immediately.

"So, I think my mother needs to check us all out," she said as she watched the color drain from Rin's face. "Your sick, Ayame's sick, Sango's sick… and I'm sick. And I'd rather my mother be the one to tell us if we're all…"

"Pregnant?" she moaned as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I'll never be allowed out of Sesshomaru's sight for more than three seconds ever again!" she whined.

As Kagome chuckled and nodded her head, knowing how right she was, she stood up and shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, if you can keep up with me, I think we should head over to the village and grab Sango now. She's the last one I decided to grab and Ayame's waiting for us at the well with Koga."

"Does he have any idea what you're thinking?" she asked in horror.

"No, and neither does Ayame. I kept it short with the both of them because I know how delicate a situation this is. I'll inform her more once we're in my time."

As she slightly relaxed, Rin's hand instantly went to her lower belly.

Was it possible?

Even as she thought about it, she figured this could most likely be the reason she had been so sick lately.

But… she was the youngest out of all of them. Was she ready to become a mother? And what about her demon lord? Was he ready for something like this right now? Sesshomaru had been having so many issues with his emotions lately, that she worried that, if she was going to be bearing his child, would that be too much for him to handle?

As Kagome looked at her, she could easily read the concerns and worry's carved onto Rin's face. Taking her hand, she smiled her warmest smile, hoping that her kindness and support would be enough to get her moving.

"Everything is going to be perfectly fine, Rin. But we need to get going now. I don't want an all out war for this unexpected trip over to my time."

As she nodded her head, Kagome took off in a dead run and began hoping off the trees. As she followed, Rin pushed her dizziness aside and kept running along with her friend and sister in law. Hoping that once they grabbed Sango and gone five hundred years into the future, everything would be okay.

* * *

As Miroku held his wife's hair back for the third time that morning, he gently blocked his nose with his fingers, and winced.

Inuyasha had tried his best to reset his nose in the quickest, and least painful way possible, but Sango had definitely left her mark of wrath on him. And even though he had a feeling that he was most likely right, he didn't dare ask her the fateful question again.

"I'm sorry," she moaned as she stroked his knee. "I never should have punched you so hard."

As he smiled lightly, Miroku gently pulled her back from her perch of hanging over the small cliff and sighed.

"It's okay Darling. I know you didn't mean to do it."

"Miroku… what's wrong with me lately? I never use to get sick like this. In fact, the last time I threw up was when I was a toddler," she whined as she slumped into his chest and fell asleep. She had been passing out a lot lately too.

As he stroked her hair, Miroku sighed.

He knew she was pregnant. He hadn't lost his spiritual powers the night of their wedding, and since he was far more in tuned to his abilities than Kagome, since he had been honing them for the better part of his life, Miroku had felt the presence of an innocent heart starting to sparkle days ago within his wife.

But he didn't want to have Inuyasha reset his nose again. That shit hurt worse than the punch had.

"Miroku! Is Sango with you?!"

As he turned suddenly, Miroku relaxed at seeing Kagome high in the air and beginning to land in front of him.

As he held his finger to his lips, Miroku gently laid her down on the cool, soft grass and quietly walked over to the miko.

"She's finally not holding it in. So I guess that's a good sign," he said quietly as he noticed Rin walking out of the forest, a little on the pale side. "Tell me, Kagome… what are you up to?" he asked as he folded his arms over his chest.

As she stayed silent, Miroku sighed in frustration.

"I know my wife is pregnant. I never lost my spiritual powers on the night of our wedding. But she won't listen to me. It's like she's forcing herself to stay in denial. So, what are you doing here? Because I'm not waking her up unless I have a reason to," he said sternly.

As her eyes widened, Kagome made a jester to Rin for her to stay back for a few moments.

"Can you tell with the rest of us, Miroku? Because I've been feeling something the past few days coming off all of us, that's the reason I came to get Sango," she said as she whispered. "I wanted to bring her back to my time and have my mother check us all out. I'm thinking maybe if she hears it from another woman, she won't be so confused anymore."

As he looked at her, he focused on her completely. But he wasn't surprised when he hit a wall of light more powerful than his wife's.

Since she was a miko, Kagome had a barrier around her body that had intensified after her mating to Inuyasha to the point where her body and mind were like a fortress. And Rin, along with Ayame, were protected from detection of young as well, seeing as that's how demonic blood worked. It would protect the pregnant females scent for the first few weeks and shadow itself. And then, after three or four months, it would dwindle and their scent would change.

As he shook his head and explained why, Kagome felt stumped.

"Is that why I couldn't detect anything in myself?" she asked, now worried that the wall she'd run into had been Inuyasha's blood trying to protect her.

"Possibly," he said as he looked behind him to his sleeping wife. "Because you already have spiritual powers, Inuyasha's demonic blood must be protecting you if you are pregnant. And it's a lot stronger and harder to break through now since you're mated to him."

As they spoke for only a few more moments, Sango stirred in her sleep and opened her eyes. At seeing her best friend talking to her husband, she became worried.

"Is something wrong?" she asked as she forced herself to sit up.

As Kagome marched over to her friend, she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the demon slayer.

"We're going to my time. Right now. You need to be checked out by a doctor and so do the rest of us."

Well, if being blunt was a weapon, Sango sure felt as if she'd been pierced through the heart for sure.

As she nodded her head, knowing full well that objecting to Kagome's command was not the best option, she walked over to Rin and made eye contact with her husband.

He looked upset, but he still smiled at her with the warmest gaze in his eyes.

He was worried about her. He had been worried for a while now, and she knew it was most likely best to stop denying it.

She didn't think it was possible she was pregnant right now. She had had her normal cycle only a week ago, and even though it had not lasted as long as it normally did, she didn't think it was remotely possible.

"Be safe," he shouted to her as Kagome grabbed her and Rin and started pulling them in the direction of the Bone Eaters Well.

As she smiled and nodded her head, Sango looked at her two female friends and sighed.

"Could this really be possible?" she asked as they walked slowly through the forest.

Even though she already knew from Miroku that her friend was indeed pregnant, Kagome kept her mouth shut on the matter. Even talking about it seemed too scary for any of them to handle right now.

And it would probably stay that way until they reached her time.

Silent… and terrifying.

* * *

As Inuyasha sniffed the air for the fifth time, he let out a growl of frustration.

Kagome's scent was almost everywhere in and around the village, but she was the only thing missing every single time. And what was worse, Sesshomaru had already run into him twice looking for Rin.

"Do you think all of the women are with each other?" he'd asked. "I mean, I keep finding her scent everywhere, along with your mate's."

But Inuyasha hadn't answered, because he truthfully didn't know.

Running to the Bone Eaters Well, Inuyasha stopped at a dead halt as he saw Koga pacing around the well.

"Hey Wolf Boy! Where is everyone?" he yelled.

As Koga nearly jumped, he looked to his friend and held out his arms in front of the well protectively.

"Kagome, Ayame, Rin and Sango are all on the other side of the well. And Kagome told me to make sure that you didn't chase after her. She's having her mother check all of them out."

As he halted in front f his friend, Inuyasha's head tilted to the side in confusion.

A lot of confusion actually.

"Why are they _all_ over there? I know my mother in law is some sort of doctor, but why would Kagome tell me to stay over here?" he asked as he folded his arms over his chest. "I know I'm more than welcome over there. But setting you up as a guard dog seems slightly suspicious to me."

As he lowered his arms and sighed, Koga kicked at a small rock on the ground and clasped his arms behind his head.

"I know. It does to me too. But if you go over there, Kagome's going to kill me," he said sympathetically.

As he looked up at the sun, Inuyasha could tell that Kagome had easily left maybe only two and a half hours ago. But now, he felt more than just slightly worried.

Her illness over the past few days was truly bothering him. She had barely ever been this sick when they were younger, and even with the full power of the Shikon Jewel, she just seemed to be getting worse. Looking at his friend, he pleaded with his eyes as best as he could. Not caring how weak he looked in that instant.

"Koga, come on," he begged. "Your mate is over there too right now. At least I could find out without them noticing what's going on right?"

As he considered the thought, Koga shook his head violently.

"No way, Yash, your woman is _way_ too smart for that. Kagome already told me that she planned on saying The S Word every ten minutes until they were all ready to leave. You're royally screwed if you go through the well right now and find any of them."

As he growled, knowing full well how right he was, Inuyasha went to his next plan of action. And almost felt bad about it.

"Fine."

As he swiftly gave Koga a harsh upper cut to the jaw, knocking him high in the air and across the field, Inuyasha jumped down into the deep darkness as quickly as possible and felt the relief take hold as he saw the blue light of time.

As it slowly faded and he looked up, Inuyasha could easily smell all four females scents coming from inside the Higurashi Home. Carefully climbing up the ladder for once, since he did not want to be heard, Inuyasha gracefully rounded the top and set his bare feet down slowly.

He would just wait here and call Kagome through the mating tie once he heard her outside. He didn't know exactly what was going on, and in truth, he was sadly too far away from the house to hear what was actually going on inside, but he wanted to be the first to know what was going on.

And if his wife wanted to be sneaky about it, then he had no problem pulling out a few tricks of his own.

* * *

**OMG!!!! I finally got to it!!!!**

**Lol, I know it really isn't much, but that's because the next chapter is going to be out of this world funny!**

**So, I should get my butt in gear and START WRITING!!!!**

**Lemme know what you thought!**

**Toodles,**

**Me**

**: P**


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